Less Than Human (16 page)

  
CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“W
ait up!” Victoria yelled after Ben.

“
Ben! You don't know what you'll find!” Josh shouted. It wasn't the most convincing argument for Ben to stop, but it was the best he could come up with on the fly. He ran after his companion, his lungs aching something fierce. Cold sweat poured off him.

Ben disappeared around the bush. Josh stopped.

Victoria noticed he had fallen behind. “Girls, wait.” She slowed to a stop, her daughters doing the same.

“
Why are we stopping? Ben needs our help,” Brittany stated.

Josh slowly caught up to them, attempting to catch his breath. The two young girls appeared to have no problem with sprinting down the street. They acted like they hadn't been running at all.

Victoria put her hands over her head, sucking wind. “Guess I should renew my gym membership, huh?”

“
Ben's gone,” Josh told them. “We won't catch him.”

“
He could be walking into a deathtrap,” Brittany replied. “His mind isn't right, Josh. He's not thinking clearly.”

Josh knew. The man was so desperate to find his son that nothing else mattered. Especially his own safety. One small misstep in this dangerous new world and...

“Okay. We'll follow. But let me catch my brea—”

Something darted behind him, heading straight for Victoria. Josh turned in time to watch a middle-aged man in a three-piece suit tackle her to the ground, snarling bestially. The man had recently taken a bath in someone's blood. His expensive suit was heavily stained, torn and tattered.

Victoria screamed. So did her daughters.

Josh rushed over to her, reaching for the zombie's shoulder. He grabbed the dead man, but it was too late; he already clamped his mouth down on Victoria's throat. A blood-curdling scream roared from her open mouth as the monster tore a gaping hole in her neck. Ruby fluids spurted out excessively.

“No!” Brittany screamed, rushing to her mother's side.

Emily froze, looking on expressionlessly. Her jaw dropped open, remained there for the duration of the carnage.

Josh yanked the zombie off Victoria with the strength in his one good arm. It was surprisingly light for a corpse. Tumbling across the pavement, the zombie growled. Josh kicked its teeth in before it had the opportunity to rise to its feet. The corpse took the blow without protecting itself. Josh kicked it again, this time aiming for the side of its head. The zombie's head dented. He kicked it again, this time in the knee. Its fragile bone cracked and the zombie fell flat against the street. Clenching his teeth together, Josh stomped on the zombie's head. Blood splashed the asphalt, pooling around the corpse's nearly-crushed cranium. Josh repeated this act over and over again, until the zombie's head caved in like a rotten pumpkin. Brains and other pinkish matter oozed from beneath his foot.

Josh turned to Victoria and her daughter. Brittany was holding her hands over the cherry cavern in her mother's neck. Blood seeped through her fingers. She glanced at Josh, looking for help he couldn't give.

He stared at her forebodingly. She shook her head slowly, her eyes growing wet.

“
Is Mom going to be okay?” Emily asked innocently. Tears stood on the rims of her eyes.

Sniffling, Brittany uttered, “Yes. She'll be just fine, sweet pea.”

“Don't call me sweat pea,” Emily said under her breath.

Brittany stared Josh in the face. Tears poured down her face. She was able to keep her outburst internal. “Take Emily. Get out of here.”

“What are you going to do?” Josh asked.

“
I'll wait with her.” She looked down at her mother. Victoria's mouth hung open like she had something to say but couldn't speak. “Then I'll catch up.”

Josh exhaled. “You sure?”

Brittany nodded.

Josh looked at Victoria one last time. Life was beginning to fade from the middle-aged woman's eyes. He knelt down. “Thanks for the sling,” he said.

She didn't respond, remaining frozen in her final moments.

Josh sprung back to his feet. A stinging sensation found the corners of his eyes. It felt good feeling something again, although he wished it wasn't sadness.

“Come on, Emily. We're going for a walk,” Josh told her.

“
I want to stay with Mom,” she sobbed. Her face glistened in the sunlight.

“
Your sister will take care of her.”

Emily sprinted past Josh, crying and screaming. He didn't stop her. Physically drained, Josh watched the girl hug her mother for the last time.

   
CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Z
ombies. The street was full of them. Emily swallowed air. Josh felt his knees grow weak and almost give out.

“
Where's Ben?” asked Emily, still sobbing.

“
I dunno.”

“
Do you think he made it?”

“
I dunno.”

“
What number was the house?”

Josh clenched his teeth. “I do—”

A swaying corpse lunged for them. They stepped away. The zombie tripped, falling to the asphalt. It crawled after them, growling and gnashing its teeth together.

“
Was it 732?” Emily asked.

“
That sounds right.”

They danced around the crawling corpse.

“What do we do?” Emily asked.

“
Does it look like I know?”

Emily winced. Tears flowed from her eyes once again.

“Shit. I'm sorry.” Josh felt the need for drugs pumping through his veins. “I'm just... not feeling too good.”

“
Well, my mother just died. I think I have you beat,” she said harshly.

“
She's not dead.”

“
I'm not stupid.”

Josh nodded.

“How are we getting through this?” Emily asked again.

Josh looked ahead. There was no way they could maneuver through the horde without being torn to pieces. They could try to go around them, but if the dead caught on, they'd converge on them within seconds.

“We'll try to go around them,” Josh told her. “We'll head for that house.” He pointed.

“
The tall gray one? With black shutters?”

“
Yup. We'll hop the fence and travel through the backyards, until we find the right house.” Josh squinted, trying to see the house number. “Looks like that's 542. So it'll be on that side of the street, a little ways up.”

“
Okay,” Emily said, wiping teardrops away from her eyes.

“
You going to be okay?” Josh asked.

Emily shook her head. “No.”

Josh nodded.

Ahead, they heard someone who sounded like Ben Ackerman scream in agony.

W
alking through the sea of hungry, living corpses wasn't the smartest idea Ben had ever come up with. He knew that. Even as he dodged some of their lame attacks with ease, he knew there had to be a better way. But instead of planning an alternative route in his head, he thought of Jake. He thought of his boy and how his face would illuminate once he saw his father again. He wondered what he was doing right now. Was he huddled next to his mother? Safe? Protected from the evils which now ruled the streets? Ben hoped.

The dream. This is my dream.

The street he had dreamed was this street. Crown Avenue. It looked exactly as it had within the dreamworld. As he jogged through the gathered, he surveyed the faces of the dead. He didn't recognize a single one of them. There was a man dressed in a shirt and tie. A policeman with bloody slaver dangling from his mouth. A girl clinging onto her stuffed bunny-rabbit. An middle-aged woman in her underwear, splattered with bright-red speckles. They moaned, aching for nourishment. Ben dodged them easily. He looked on, half-expecting to see Jake stumble from the flock, bloody and dirty, eager to rip his father apart.

He glanced at the house on his right.
724.
Only a few more houses to go.
He did some quick math and found the house Melissa had purchased with his money. It was painted sage-green, wore brown shutters with a wooden stockade fence stained walnut surrounding it. Quite possibly the ugliest exterior decorating he had ever seen. Ben smirked.
Oh, Mel. You never were good at this.
He found himself able to produce a chuckle, despite his current predicament. Then, realizing how close he was to seeing his son again, Ben picked—

Pain suddenly occupied his right arm. It quickly ran down his arm, into his hand. He whipped around and looked down, finding the little girl with the stuffed bunny-rabbit tasting his flesh. Her mouth was peeling back a sliver of his skin.

Ben screamed. He wrenched his arm free, the little girl temporarily content with chewing the bloody scrap of skin. Once she swallowed, she jumped at him, snarling furiously. Ben kicked her in the chest and sent her tumbling to the street. Behind her, zombies flocked in his direction. Ben looked to his right and left, the herd closing in.

How could I be so stupid?
Ben asked himself.
What was I thinking?
He knew the answer to that—he wasn't thinking. Not at all.

The horde grew closer, encircling him like a school of sharks. There was no way out. The wall of corpses was ten zombies deep. He could break through the first layer, maybe without getting himself killed, but after that they'd converge on him. He'd seen it before. If he had just kept moving, never slowed down, he might have had a shot.

“Ben!” he heard Josh shout from somewhere close. “Ben, over here!”

Ben peered through the dead bodies. He saw Josh and Emily standing on the front lawn of the nearest property. He shook his head. Closed his eyes. Waited for death.

“
W
hat is he doing?” Emily asked.

“
He's giving up,” Josh replied. Feeling ill, Josh walked toward the crowd of corpses.

“
Where are you going?” Emily asked.

Josh ignored her. Instead, he ran full speed at the famished throng. Josh jumped when he was close enough, landing on top of the crowd like a rowdy fan at a rock concert. The living dead weren't strong enough to support his weight, and four of them fell to the ground. They tumbled into their mates, knocking them over like weightless bowling pins.

Josh's arm throbbed. He rolled over, crying out in pain. One of the fallen zombies attempted to take advantage of Josh's current situation, latching onto his leg. It tried to bite down on his ankle, but Josh kicked himself away. As the pain radiated up and down his arm, Josh scrambled to his feet. He looked at Ben.

Ben reached for him. Josh met him halfway, yanking him to his feet. A few zombies darted forward with an unexpected surge of quickness, but the two men were able to sidestep their attempt. They helped each other further down the road, leaving the horde behind them. Emily followed them, running across the lawns of Melissa Ackerman's neighbors.

Once they were a safe distance from the horde, Ben turned to Josh.

“
Are you okay?” Ben asked. “Is it the arm?”

Josh shook his head. Grimacing, he sat in the middle of the road. Emily rushed over to them.

“I think...” Josh started to say, rolling up his pant leg. A hunk of his calf was missing. The edge of the wound had purpled, the infection already spreading. “Fuck me,” he muttered.

“
Oh shit, man,” Ben said out loud. “Jesus Christ.” The wound was already beginning to stink.

“
I'm a fucking goner.”

Emily started bawling again.

Ben knelt down. He put his hand on Josh's shoulder. “I'm so sorry.”

Laughing, Josh replied, “Don't worry about it. We're all going to die sooner or later, right?” A series of hacking coughs interrupted him. He spat blood onto the pavement. “I can feel it working through me. Won't be long until I'm one of them, I guess.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Motherfuckers.”

“You don't know that. I met a man in a house back there. He was bitten. A few times, from the looks of it. Days ago. And you know what?” Ben asked.

Josh shook his head.

“He's still alive.”

“
Bullshit.”

“
It's true.” Ben held up his arm, displaying his injury. “I was too.”

“
Holy fuck,” Josh coughed. Blood sputtered down his chin.

“
Were you sick a week before the shit hit the fan? Before things went really bad?”

Josh shook his head. “Haven't been sick in years, man.”

Concerned, Ben narrowed his eyes. “Hm.”

“
Guess I don't quite fit the bill then? Guess I'm not one of the lucky ones.”

“
There must be something...”

Josh coughed again, filling his palm with sticky red fluid. “Go find your son, Ben.” He nodded toward the ugly green house. “He's waiting for you in there.”

Droplets fell from Ben's eyes. He lowered his head. “Thanks for coming with me. I know things didn't quite turn out the way we wanted it, but I'm glad you came.”

Josh smirked. “Me too.” He hacked again, sickness ejaculating from between his lips. “Now go. Both of you. I don't want you to see me as one of them.”

Ben nodded. He grabbed Emily's hand. She waved to Josh, her face lustered in tears. Josh waved back weakly.

Together, they jogged up the walkway leading to 732 Crown Avenue. Ben hopped up the porch steps, letting go of Emily's hand. “Step back,” he warned her. Nothing happened when he pushed the doorbell. He began banging on the front door, screaming Melissa's name over and over again. Without waiting for a reply, he backed up, then kicked the door. It took him three tries, but Ben was able to force the door off of the hinges.

Shaking with fear, Ben stepped inside. Emily followed.