I Dream of Zombies (26 page)

Marla frowned
, seeking an answer, and Tommy nodded towards the right. “Smashed,” he whispered.

She drew in a breath and Billy readied his
Colt rifle. Taking a silent step, Tommy glanced to the left where the toilet was. The glass door to the far side of it was still intact, but there were two figures slumped on chairs in between. He rested his head against the wall and thanked God for small mercies. Smiling strangely, he pointed and muttered, “Fine, but two freaks. Basically, they’re going to come at us from the right in a pack.”

Marla nodded. “You take those two and I’ll
start firing to the right when they notice.”

“Okay, I’ll cover you,” said Tommy. “
Billy, can you get Ellen out?”

The guy nodded and gripped his weap
on tightly. Marla noticed him glance at the ceiling, take a deep breath and pat his stomach. “Ready?” she asked. When Billy nodded, she moved close behind Tommy to peer to the right. The sight of the dead-lookers beyond the broken door sickened her for a second, but then she summoned her wits about her. This was no time to get the jitters; her sister’s life depended on it.

“Go,” whispered Tommy, turning to the left and
blasting the first slumped figure in the head with his shotgun. It splattered against the wall. Without pause, he fired a second shot into the forehead of the freak alongside it as it let out a low groan and began to rise. The corpse collapsed on to the other body. As it fell, almost in slow motion, Billy ran forward and pressed the ‘open’ button on the door of the disabled toilet. Nothing happened. “Damn, it’s locked,” he muttered.

Behind him, Marla fired off two rounds
to the right as two corpses struggled to be the first to pass through the shattered glass of the carriage door. They only managed two steps. Without hesitation she shot at the next couple, who collapsed on top of the previous bodies. Her aim was to block the route of the dead-lookers behind, but there were so many of them. She ignored the reality of the situation and just fired as blood splurted like a Pollack painting.

Billy banged on the metal chamber. “Ellen, your sister, Marla, is here. Unlock the door.”

Groans filled the air as the undead in the carriage began to rise up from their seats and turn to gaze upon the two living, breathing men with an unmistakable hunger in their eyes. Disfigured faces seemed to hover in the air beyond the glass, their open mouths dripping bile.

Inside the toilet, Ellen clambered to her feet and ran towards the door. “Who are you? How do you know my sister?”

“Ellen, come out, it’s Tommy. We can’t open this from the outside.”

“Tommy? Oh, God!” Ellen cried and turned sharply to bang the ‘unlock’ button. It clicked
.

Outside, Marla reloaded and fired again at the hoard of
the dead struggling through the confines of the door. A pile of corpses blocked their way and one fell flat on to the floor. With a moan he crawled forwards, stretching out his fingers, but Tommy shot him still. Marla nodded and fired again. Two bodies fell. Tommy took out a third and fourth with one blast. Billy stood beside him, aiming his rifle at the monsters to the left that he spied beyond the glass. They were so close that he could see the cracks in their withered skin, the seeping pus, and the red streaks across the lifeless spheres of their eyes.
What kind of reality is this?

Ellen banged the ‘open’ button and ran forward
as the door began to open automatically. The metal crept, too slowly as her heart raced into her throat and stuck there like a hunted beast. Her limbs began to tremble as she willed the damn thing to slide faster, but she had to endure the wait. Outside, shattered glass scattered across the carpeted floor of the train and arms crashed through the remaining splinters. Billy gasped and started firing.

“Aim for the forehead,” urged Tommy, noticing
the guy hitting too low.

“Uh, ha,” Billy mumbled as he fired
at the nearest skull and the body sank to the ground. Two more monsters pushed through together, with a third pressing so hard that they almost fell on top of one another. Unearthly groans filled the air. Billy fired.

“Shit,” muttered Marla as she scrambled to reload
her Glock. Tommy turned and took out two freaks, which crumpled like bedraggled material to the ground. But they kept on coming. Two more down and five more tried to push through. An entire carriage of passengers staggered behind them.

Ellen banged her palms on the metal surface as the door fed around the track on the floor until there was a body space and she slid through. Suppressing the urge to scream, she ran in between Tommy and Marla.

“Get out!” urged Tommy. “Exit by Marla!”

Without speaking, Ellen ran past her sister
, who could not afford to turn to acknowledge her as she fired three more shots. Covering her ears instinctively, Ellen jumped out on to the ground outside. She glanced at the grass all around her, but did not move, choosing to wait.

“Out!” said Tommy.

“But...” muttered Billy as he took down another monster.

Tommy gave him a pleading look and the man fired off another shot before turning quickly and disappearing in the direction Ellen had taken. Glancing over his shoulder at Marla, who was still rooted to the spot and shooting,
Tommy backed away, firing at the freaks that were pushing through the glass. Two collapsed and he knew he was close to being out of ammo. Turning, he fired past her to make a perfect headshot. In surprise, Marla turned to see him running towards her. Taking the hint, she raced ahead as fast as she could and jumped out of the train on to the grass below. As she landed, Ellen stepped forwards and hugged her.

Marla held her tightly with tears in her eyes. “I didn’t think I’d see you…” she muttered.

“Thank you,” Ellen replied, looking up into her sister’s eyes. “Thank you for finding me.”

Marla nodded, lost for words.

Tommy jumped down and slammed the door shut. “We should go,” he insisted, although it really did not need to be said. Everyone was looking up at the empty eyeballs staring out of the glass section of the door.

“That’s not gonna hold,” Marla
feared, wiping her eyes.

Tommy sighed.
“You’re telling me?”

“Under!” Billy
instructed, crouching down and moving beneath the train. “Faster.”

Everyone followed his lead and ducked beneath the metal carriage. Progress was slower than running
, but the distance was shorter. As they approached the other side, feet appeared at the far end of the train, towards the rear. Ellen opened her mouth as if to cry out, but Marla covered it. Billy was first into the open, but he remained crouched until the others were out. Under the glare of the sun they could all see the group of undead lingering at the back of the train, just standing there, gazing at something in the other direction. Tommy stepped forward and pointed up towards the jeep. They would have to run up the embankment to get there. Quickly, he reloaded his shotgun. Brushing his hair out of his eyes, he glanced up again. It was steep, but surely those freaks could not climb? He pointed for the others to go ahead.

Billy ran forward, followed by Ellen and then Marla, with Tommy bringing up the rear. As soon as they moved, the figures at the end of the train sensed it and the
ir faces turn in one simultaneous motion. Ellen did not dare to look and continued chasing after Billy. The ground lifted upwards and she stared at the route. The jeep was a long way ahead. Biting her lip, she walked up as quickly as she could, but the gradient was steep. Behind, the shadowy figures stumbled towards them. Tommy frowned to see that some were moving quicker than the rest, but why would that be? He started up the bank behind Marla. A crash of glass made him turn. One of the windows had been breached and bodies were literally hurling themselves out. The freaks crossing the grass between them were closing the distance. “Hurry!” he urged, raising his voice.

Marla increased her pace behind Ellen and took her hand. “Come on, I’ve got you.”

“He forced me. I think he killed his brother.”

Marla inhaled and tightened her grip on her sister’s hand. “I’ve got you now. You’re safe.”

Ahead, Billy was halfway up. He waited for the others to catch up, aiming his rifle towards the train in case the monsters got too close. The two girls passed him and still he paused.

“Go,” said Tommy, reaching him.

Billy nodded and walked swiftly up the bank, overtaking Ellen and Marla with his big strides. Down below, the creatures that were once by the back of the train had reached the base of the slope. Tommy picked off the first two. As the gradient grew steeper, Billy walked in a crouch until he reached the top. Tommy fired again, which made Ellen turn her head. Seeing the dozens of walking skeletons at the bottom, she panicked and her feet gave way beneath her. Sliding, her hand pulled on Marla’s, almost knocking her off her feet. Marla bowed forward to support herself by placing her other palm flat on the ground. Grimacing, she took Ellen’s weight, but she could feel her slipping.

Tommy took two bounds up the slope an
d caught Ellen around the waist. “I’ve got you,” he said softly. “Don’t panic. Focus on the top. Crouch and walk.”

Ellen nodded between heavy pants of breath
, her limbs still feeling shaky from everything she had been through. Bending her back, she dug in her heels and climbed up behind her sister. Finding it too steep to walk, she used all four limbs to progress forward. Marla let her pass and followed close behind. Glancing over her shoulder, she mouthed ‘thank you’ to Tommy, and then sucked in her breath when she saw that some of the dead were starting up the slope. A mass of them had stopped, as though unsure of what to do, but a dozen or so were behind them, and it would not take long for the others to just follow like sheep.

Tommy recognised fear in
Marla’s expression and looked around. He paused long enough to fire off sufficient rounds to take down the first six freaks and then bounded up the slope, being sure to stay behind Ellen, just in case. Beneath him he could hear the phantom growls that carried through the air, sounding like disembodied voices without reason or formation. There were no words, only howls.

Shots from above caught Marla’s attention and she hurried up the slope, knowing Tommy would ensure her sister’s safety. R
eaching the crescent, she ran into the road where Billy was shooting at a group of three dead-lookers. Instinctively, she ran forward to help, but then she saw the bigger picture: a pack of untold numbers heading their way, swarming down the motorway like giant wasps with no care for whom they hurt. Grabbing her car keys from her pocket, she ran forward and unlocked the driver’s door of the jeep, her hands trembling all the time. “Get to the passenger side,” she yelled to Billy. He glanced back and did as she said, before turning again and raising his rifle. As soon as the monsters were close enough, he planned to fire.

At that moment Ellen emerged, sprinting towards them. “Back door,” Marla called out
to her.

Ellen opened it and jumped inside.
Bob sprang on her immediately, wagging his tail and trying to lick her hand. “Good boy, it’s nice to see you too,” she said, pulling the door closed in case he ran out.

Marla
counted the seconds. “Come on, Tommy,” she mumbled to herself. “No heroics...” When his familiar face appeared she let out the breath she’d been holding. Billy fired a shot at the fast approaching ragged group and Marla echoed his movements. Tommy sprinted towards the jeep yelling, “Get in!”

Like lightning, Billy and Marla slammed
inside while Tommy dived in the back alongside Ellen. Bob put his head on her lap and she was grateful for the comfort. Marla locked the doors, turned on the ignition and reversed with a screech of rubber against tarmac. The vehicle spun around and drove forward.

“We’re going back the way we came,” gasped Tommy, glancing out the window to see figures appearing up the embankment from the train.

“I know, Einstein,” Marla replied, “but take a look the other way.”

He
turned his head to see a pack of shadows filling half of the width of the motorway. “What the…?”

“Yep, so what do I do?
” asked Marla. “If anyone has a good idea, now is the time to tell me!”

“I say drive past them,” Tommy suggested.

“Are you crazy? How do we know what lies ahead? If there’s a mass of them that size, doesn’t that mean it’s gotta be worse up there then where we came from?”

“Maybe, maybe not,” said Billy. “I’ve seen herds like that before, when I was driving the train. They’d just appear and then there would be nothing for a long distance.”

“Hell,” breathed Marla with a sigh. “Someone flip a coin.”

“Is this a bad time to say how happy I am to see
everyone and thanks for coming to get me?” asked Ellen.

Marla glanced over her shoulder. “
Honey, I’m so glad to see you too. I was so–” She stopped and drew in a breath, unable to finish her sentence.

Tommy
realised her emotions were welling up. “It’s lucky we found you,” he told Ellen. “This is Billy,” he added, nodding to the man in the front passenger seat. “He guessed where you were.”