Respect for the Dead (Surviving the Dead Book 1) (13 page)

Steve saw a young man running into the road frantically waving his arms.  Slamming on the breaks and the car went into a skid.  Steve turned the wheel to avoid running over Wes as the car went sliding sideways, it stopped mere inches from Wes.  Steve couldn’t believe his eyes, Wes had a gun in his hand, a rifle and sword on his back, a huge backpack slung over his shoulders and bunny ears sticking out of his jacket. Reaching over he threw open the passenger side door.  “Wes! Get in.” Wes pulled off his pack and threw it over the seat into the back, followed by the sword.  He swung the rifle off his shoulder and jumped into the car keeping it in front of him.  

Steve began to pull forward.  “Dude we can’t go that way!”  Wes gestured out the front window, “It is swarming with zombies.”  Slamming the door he jabbed his thumb behind them.  “There is an evacuation point up at Richland mall.”

Steve got the car turned around.  They were heading back down the hill toward the road that would take them to the mall.  He looked over at Wes who was staring straight ahead.  Steve recognized the rifle as his own.  “That’s my gun isn’t it?”

Wes did not look over at Steve.  He shrugged, “Yeah” he muttered still without looking over.

  “Beth?... My dad?”  Steve asked. 

Wes took a deep breath.  “I don’t know about Beth.  She, she wasn’t at your house.”  Wes looked out the side window, “Your Dad. He, well,   He’s um.”

  “He isn’t one of them is he?”  Steve asked frantically turning to look at Wes. 

Wes swallowed and whispered.  “Not anymore.” 

Steve knew what happened just by the look on Wes’s face.  Anger, grief, sorrow, and pain all crashed over Steve.   Wes seemed to crumble into the seat next to him. 

“I’m so sorry.”  Wes sobbed. 

Steve looked at the young man sitting next to him.  Then he returned his attention to the road.  Several long seconds passed.  “Thanks….thanks for not letting him… for not letting him stay one of those things.”  Steve whispered tears rolled down his cheeks.   Wes only nodded keeping his face turned to the window not wanting Steve see him cry.  Steve stared out the windshield and let the tears run down his face.  He reached over and placed a hand on Wes’ shoulder.  “Really.  Thanks.” 

Wes looked over, saw the tears, “He was always so good to me…I couldn’t leave him…” 

“Your mom and stepdad?” 

Wes shook his head.

“Did you?”

Wes nodded.

“I’m sorry.”  Steve’s heart broke for Wes.  Silence filled the car as they turned onto the main road that would lead them up the mountainside to the Mall. The only sound was the hum of the engine until Steve came around a bend in the road. 

“Whoa!” he slammed on the breaks for what felt like the hundredth time in the last hour.  The road was completely blocked.  Up ahead they could see a huge wreck involving at least ten cars.  Steve was putting the car in reveres when, from the stopped cars, people began screaming and running toward them. 

“We’re too late!”  Wes gasped.

A few cars had turned around and were barreling straight toward them.  “Shit” Steve yelled throwing the car into reverse, spinning the wheel, he slammed on the gas.  The car spun around, Steve slammed it back into gear heading back the way they came.  Other cars flew by them.  They were only ahead for a moment.   The mini vans and SUVs unable to out strip the high performance engine for long

While Steve weaved his way in and out of traffic, Wes watched terrified faces pass in a blur. “The Point!"  That is the next place they said to go.”  Wes yelled grabbing onto the dashboard as the car swung violently.

Devin stared down at Lacey’s broken body then to his blood soaked hands.  “What the hell is going on?”  He demanded of the shattered skull.   He turned to Norman, who was growing paler by the second.  Blood was pouring from the man’s neck.  Dropping the shattered computer Devin saw Norman was in trouble, “Hang on Norm, I’ll get help.” 

Wrenching open the door to the hall he was greeted by more screams and yelling.  The Mayor and his assistant Trevor Smyth were running down the hall. “Devin!  Come on we have to get out of here!  They’re already in the building!  The National Guard is on the way!”  Trevor yelled. 

“We have to get to the ballpark.  That is where they are going to evacuate us.”  Mayor Griggs shouted grabbing Devin by the arm. 

Devin wrenched his arm free. Martin skidded to a halt, eyebrows raised.  “Norms been hurt, Lacey...Lacey went.. she went, well we thought she died but...”  Devin tried to explain but the Mayor cut across him. 

“Good God, did she bite him?” 

“Yeah he is losing a lot of blood and we need…”  What Devin thought they needed to do was never explained.  The door behind him burst open.  A blood covered Norman lunged at them arms outstretched and teeth barred. 

Martin grabbed Devin again as Trevor urged them to follow him.  The three men ran down the hall to the stairs that led down to front doors.   When they pushed through the doors into the lobby of the city government building they were met with bedlam.  The security guards were screaming at a group of people to stay back.  The group was trying to break through the front doors.  Devin saw streaks of blood covering the glass.  The people looked like they had been through a meat grinder.

  “Aim for the heads boys!” Martin yelled.  “don’t try to reason just shoot and run!”

“The side door!”  Screamed Trevor.

The three men sprinted across the lobby, Trevor in the lead followed closely by Devin and the Mayor huffing, bringing up the rear.  The glass from the front doors shattered.  The security guards guns blasted as the men ran by.  Devin covered his head and ran after Trevor.  Martin yelled over his shoulder, “Shoot em in the head and run for you lives damn it!” 

Devin slid around a corner after Trevor.  “Keep up Marty!”  Trevor threw over his shoulder at the Mayor.  Martin exclaimed in very explicit terms for them not to wait for him.  Trevor skidded to a halt at the emergency exit to the alley.  Devin slammed into the door next to him.  The two men stared at each other; both wondering what would greet them on the other side. 

Martin barked at them as he ran full out, “Get out of the way boys!”

  “Mayor what if they are out…”Trevor started. 

“Then you two either better save my ass or run the other way.”  Martin shouted as he spun to slam through the door back first into the ally.

Gillian grabbed Matt’s arm pulling him to the back of the clinic.  All the animals were straining and crying in their cages.  She hesitated for a moment wanting to set the animals free.  What would happen to them if she did?  What would happen if she didn’t?  Would the creatures follow the animals, or leave them alone?  Could she live with herself if she used them as bait?  Could she live with herself if she left them in the cages to their fate?  Her internal struggle ended with the clang of a metal dish falling from a counter. 

Now it was Matt’s turn to pull Gillian to the door marked exit.  Letting go of her arm he pushed on the door.  Nothing happened.  Gillian looked back down the hall.  The two undead were progressing slowly toward them.  They were already passed the examination room where Jeremy was.  Gillian threw a chair down the hall tripping one of the ghouls.  She picked up a large cat carrier and held it ready to throw.  Behind the advancing dead, Jeremy stumbled out of the room.  His movements were jerky and stuttered.  It looked like he was having trouble making his limbs move. 

Gillian saw the look on his face.  The boy she had been treating was no longer behind the eyes.  It was time to go.  She threw the carrier at the jawless man who was closest.  It bounced off his chest not slowing his progress. 

Matt glanced over his shoulder.  Seeing the approaching ghouls with his friend close behind sent him into a panic, “Oh shit oh shit oh shit.”  He screamed pushing at the door. 

The jawless man was furthest down the hall, Jeremy was not far behind and the one on the floor was thankfully having a difficult time extricating himself from the chair.  Jeremy let out a howl like nothing Gillian had heard before, a low mournful cry that was answered by a gurgling from jawless and a lower howl from the chair man.  Matt was pushing and pulling at the door, whimpering and pounding. 

It started in her toes and worked its way to the top of her head.  Terror like she had never felt, she flung whatever was in reach at the creatures.  A pair of scissors flew from her hand and embedded themselves in the chest of jawless.  He did not falter. 

Giving up on throwing things she ran to Matt’s side, “Deadbolt!”  She screamed and tried to turn the knob.  Matt, in a panic, tried to push the door open.

  “Let go of the door so I can turn the deadbolt!”  She yelled at the boy.  

“What! Let me out! Let me out!”  Matt screamed back. 

Pushing Matt out of the way she cranked the deadbolt, twisted the doorknob, and pushed the door open.  She flung herself and a panicking Matt out into the street.  Turning she saw the jawless man right on top of them.  The same stench she had encountered from Jeremy’s wound accosted her nose.  Gagging she slammed the door on the jawless face.  The slam of the door barely hid the crunch of a nose as the door met his face. 

Cool evening air flooded into her lungs. The smell of decomposition still haunted her sense of smell.   Drawing deep heavy breaths she slumped against the heavy steel door.  The cool metal felt safe and sturdy against her back.  Matt was looking up and down the alley.  Gillian became aware of a scratching coming through the door.  Suddenly the door rattled in its frame, Gillian jumped away ready to run. 

Matt grabbed her arm, “we, we should be ok.  They don’t seem too good with door knobs.”  He panted still scanning the alley.

She turned to ask one of the million questions screaming through her mind but only one came out as she saw the street, “What the hell is going on?”

Wendell Phillips glared at Archie Snowden’s back as he mounted the steps to the bank.  The two men had worked together for the past seven years.  Wendell had never really liked the man.  Wendell’s former partner had retired and he got stuck with Archie.   In Wendell’s opinion, Archie was a foul mouthed, lazy, grouch.  He complained incessantly about the job, their supervisors and the weight of the money they carried. 

For Archie, Wendell was a bore.  All Wendell wanted to do was make the runs and get back without incident.  Archie prayed for the day when someone would start something.   Today could finally be that day. 

Wendell had never even had a bullet in the chamber of his gun, earning him the nickname Barney Fife from Archie.  Today the gun was out of the holster, loaded and ready.  His head snapped to the left as a scream floated from a building across the street.  A car jumped the curb, tore across the sidewalk but kept going.  Wendell’s arms were starting to ach from the tension.  He needed to get home to his wife to get them out of this town.

Dispatch had ordered them to the main branch of the First County Bank.  When they had arrived the manager had opened the vault and told them to take the money to one of the branches in the suburbs. 

In the bank Archie wiped the sweat from his balding head.  Grabbing three large bags and grinning from ear to ear, moved his large frame out the door to the back of the armored car.  Throwing the bags into the truck he slapped Wendell on the arm and hurried back up the stairs.

“Hurry up, I want to get this done and get home.”  Wendell shouted at Archie who just gave an irritated wave over his shoulder. 

“Just have to get the rest of my retirement.”  Archie said to himself.  The manager had run off right after opening the vault.  Archie stepped over the reason for the manager’s flight.  The woman’s eyes stared up at the ceiling the top of her head was all over the floor and the desk behind her.  Archie looked down at her.  “Boom! Head shot.”  He held his fingers like a gun with his thumb coming down.  “You were a mess when you came in, oooo all bloody and growling.”  He taunted.  “Well your more of a mess now aren’t ya?”  Archie laughed as he huffed back to the vault. 

Grabbing three more heavy bags he turned to head back out.  He was in the lobby when he stopped and dropped the bags, grabbing his gun.  A window shattered.  An arm thrust through the broken glass.  The arm was cut up, the muscle and suit material hung from the shredded appendage.  It flailed around in the window but the height and bars kept the owner from getting in. 

Dancing just out of reach Archie shook his enormous backside at the grabbing hand.  “OOH you like that huh?”  He laughed.   Holstering the gun he grabbed the bags and hurried out the door and down the stairs to the truck.

The look on Wendell’s face told Archie there was going to be a problem. Next to Wendell was the corpse of a man in a suit.  It was obvious that he had been like the woman in the bank and the flailing owner of the arm. 

“I’ve had enough!  I am taking the truck and getting my family.  Let’s go.”   Wendell demanded pointing to the door of the vehicle. 

Archie stared at Wendell.  The last seven years burned in his stomach.  He always hated Wendell.  Whining about his family and boring him with stories of his old partner.  This scrawny old bastard was not going to keep him from this windfall.  

“The world is falling apart,” Archie growled, “by the time they get this straightened out I will be long gone and forgotten.  So will this Podunk town bank’s money.”  His hand dropped a money bag and edged toward his gun.  He eyed Wendell’s weapon.  It seemed heavy and awkward in his hand.  Archie trained weekly, he doubted Wendell even liked to carry the gun let alone fire it. 

“I am taking the truck, you can come along and I will drop you somewhere but we are leaving now.  You can have all the money as well.  I don’t….”  Wendell’s attention was distracted by movement on the side of the bank.  A man with one arm missing was approaching them. 

“Fuck you and fuck your family.”  Archie spat. 

Wendell turned back ready to tell Archie what he thought of the fat lazy…His eyes went wide as saucers and the look of total amazement was priceless to Archie.  Three rounds hit Wendell in the chest, his gun clattered to the ground.  Archie stood over him for a moment trying not to laugh at the look of surprise still etched on Wendell’s face.  Blood spread out from the body as Wendell gasped for breath, reaching out to Archie.  His eyes rolled back in his head. 

“They won’t miss a rent a cop either, or figure out I did it.”  Archie laughed as he ran back up the stairs to the bank shooting the one armed man as he did.