Revealed: Parables From The Apocalypse - Dystopian Fiction (2 page)

Here Piggy Piggy

They raced towards the island, leaving the advancing mob behind.  With the path already cleared, they quickly reached the island.  The pigs continued to attract attention.  There was an even bigger crowd around the pigs, as zombies approached from the far side of the bridge.  There was no way the car could race through unnoticed.

Alex said, "Chaz, maybe if we go really slow, they'll hardly notice us.  They're not the brightest bunch.  If we stay under five mph we could kinda gradually nudge them aside.  We could just lock the doors and stay low."

Christa joined in. "Maybe even cover ourselves up, so they can't see us through the windows.  All they would see is a piece of metal on wheels creeping along.  The pigs would keep them distracted.  They really smell a lot more than we do."

"I don't like it," Chaz replied. "There's no back-up if they figure it out.  We'll never get past the truck."

"Wait, stop up there next to those bodies," Christa said.

"We don't have time for sightseeing, little girl, we need to get past that truck of pigs and to the other side of this bridge before that crowd gets any worse."

"I've got an idea; just get out your knives.  This should actually make things easier."

Reluctantly, Chaz pulled up next to the corpses, a few hundred feet from the pigs.  They could smell the stench and hear their squeals from here.  They pigs were in a panic from all the zombie activity around the truck.

"If we cover the car with zombie guts, it will mask our smell from the pack, don't you think?" Christa said.

Alex thought for a second. "It may just work; certainly couldn't hurt.  We've got time before the second horde closes in."

"Let's get hacking and slashing, kids", Chaz replied.

Alex and Chaz removed arms, legs, heads, feet, and hands from the nearest corpses.  The bones were brittle, so whatever their knives couldn't cut, they snapped with their bare hands. Christa grabbed a small shovel from the trunk, and started scooping up remains and throwing them onto the hood and trunk.  The windshield and hood were soon covered with an assortment of arms, legs, guts, intestines, and bodily fluids.  They wouldn't be driving that fast, but they did their best to secure parts to the car.  The antenna sported a head skewered through the neck, and out through one of the eyeballs.  Chaz open the engine hood and closed it with a few legs hanging out.  Arms dangled from door handles, tied with fragments of shirt sleeve.  Christa flung fluids and squishy parts over the windows.  She left a bit clear on the driver’s side to aid steering.  By the time they finished, the car looked like it had been decorated by a school of serial killers. The horde from behind grew closer and closer.

"Alright, boys and girls, we're out of time; that mob is getting closer, and we need to move," Chaz ordered.

Chaz jumped into the driver’s side and took the wheel.  The others followed suit, and got down low, covering themselves with clothes stripped off corpses.  As disgusting as that was, if it masked their smell, it would be worth it.  Chaz slipped the car into gear, and proceeded slowly towards the pigs.  It was tricky steering while peeking through the gut-smeared windshield.  He couldn't actually see the road, but by watching the suspension beams of the bridge and the top of the guardrail, he could kept the car on track.  None of them could see how close they were to the pig truck, but the smell and sounds guided them.  Alex tried to get a fix out the windows with little success, while Christa chose to remain completely covered.  It took everything she had to remain silent as the smell and sounds increased.

The car progressed along at an idle speed.  Chaz didn't touch the accelerator or the brake; it was hard enough keeping things on track from his current vantage point.  When they got to the fringe of the mob, they felt the thud of the occasional zombie hitting the car.  They'd hit a zombie, it would go down, and then they'd feel a bump as the car rolled over some arm or leg.  Chaz hoped it was only arms and legs.  Eventually, the full torso of a zombie landed in front of one of the tires, and the car slowed to a dead crawl. Idle speed was barely enough. 
Too many of those, and I'll have to use the gas pedal
, Chaz thought.  The smell was palpable.  Talking was impossible over the squeals of the frantic pigs.  They were literally scared shitless.  The crates in the truck were stacked one on top of the other, and the pigs were squealing, shitting, and pissing all over themselves.  The pigs at the bottom were getting the worst of it.  It didn't seem to deter the zombies in the slightest. They really wanted bacon.

The car was halfway there.  Past the point of no return.  There were as many zombies behind as there were ahead.  Progress was slow, but they were still moving.  They had just enough acceleration.  Likely no more than half a mile per hour, but the camouflage was working.  The mob just parted and worked its way around the car as they pushed through a sea of living dead.  A couple of times the mob got too thick, and Chaz had to use the gas. The car lurched forward, but only a few zombies noticed.  They were still focused on the smell of pigs.

Considering they were surrounded by killing machines, covered in clothing smelling of rotten flesh, inundated with the smell of pig shit,  and listening to dozens of screaming pigs ... things were going well.  Then, they felt the jarring thud of metal on metal.  This wasn't the thud of a zombie, but something solid.  The car stopped moving, and zombies began climbing onto the roof and hood of the car.  Christa started sobbing.

"Chaz, what the hell, we're stopped!  I think they know we're in here.  They're starting to swarm us; they're climbing all over the car."

"I know, fool, give me a second.  There's another damn abandoned car blocking our path.  I can just barely make it out through the window.  It's really hard to see.  I’ll give it a bit of gas."

The engine revved, but created no forward movement.  Chaz pushed a bit harder, and this time they moved.  He kept the accelerator down, and progressed a few more feet, but then the car got stuck again.  Christa's sobs grew ever louder.

"Chaz, now what?  We're really stuck now."

"Yeah, the car in front of us is still there, and it's swarmed with zombies.  They're climbing over it to get to the pigs.  Christa, you need to be quiet.  You're making almost as much noise as the pigs."

Just then a lone zombie started pounding at Christa's window.  They pounded and pounded for what seemed like an eternity.  Then another joined them at Chaz's window.

"Damn it, kids, the camouflage isn't working.  They know there's something in here, and it's something that smells better than shitty pigs."

Christa's sobs became uncontrollable, prompting Chaz to push even more on the accelerator.  The car in front of them slipped off to the side, but their cover was blown.  The mob was onto them, and the car was now swarmed with zombies.  They pounded on the windows and the doors with their fists, their heads, and their bodies.  The car kept them temporarily safe, but they no longer moved forward.  There was just too much weight on it, and the mob was too big.  Flooring the accelerator just spun the wheels.  Body parts slipped under the car, giving the tires no traction with the road.  At this point, Alex cracked his window to see better.

"Alex, fool, what the hell!  Keep that window up; you’re just weakening it. It's stronger when it's closed."

"Sorry, Colonel, I just need to get a look; these windows aren't going to last long at this rate, and I can't take all this noise without seeing what's happening."

"I don't give a shit; close that damn window."

Alex didn't, and Chaz couldn't reach over and stop him.  Not that it mattered.  Alex stared out the crack of the window, looking right to left for an escape route.  The pounding on their little car was relentless. The front windshield cracked.  Much of their camouflage over the windows had been wiped away. There was no point in hiding under clothes.  The zombies knew what was inside, and were not to be deterred. 

"Colonel, shit! Oh, shit!" Alex said.

The constant pounding on the car drowned out the squeal of pigs.  As more zombies climbed up the side of the truck, it began to lean precariously in their direction.  Chaz and Christa didn't see the truck leaning, but Alex did.  The truck was giving way from the weight of the ravenous zombies.  It was rocking back and forth from being pushed on both sides.  Gradually, the rocking leaned more towards the car.

"Colonel, that whole damn thing is going to ..."

Before he could finish, the weight of the truck gained enough momentum to come crashing towards the little car.  Alex saw it coming, and scooted over to Christa's side just in time to avoid being totally wedged in.  The sound of the impact blocked out everything else for a split second. Half the roof buckled and came very close to their heads.  Christa's sobbing stopped as her eyes filled with shock, and then she froze altogether, catatonic.  The passenger-side doors were compressed to half their size, but hung partially open.  Zombie arms and hands reached through.  The windows were clear enough now for everyone to see clearly what was going on outside.

The crashing truck had the desired effect for the zombies. Dozens of pigs were freed from their cages and running from their tormentors.  There was only one escape on the bridge, but pigs can't climb guardrails.  The pigs were fast and slippery though.  Covered with fecal matter and urine, they were hard to hold on to.  But the zombies were hungry, and it was just a matter of time before they started dying one by one.

Running With The Pigs

"Now ... now's our chance.  We've got to make a run for it.  Alex, Christa, we've got to go.  The zombies are chasing the pigs, but once they're all dead they're gonna come for us.  We'll have to fight some, but most should be distracted by the pigs."

Christa didn't answer, she didn't even move.  Alex grabbed her and shook her.  "Christa, wake up! Christa, snap out of it ... Christa! Christa!"

"Alex, she's in shock, she's gone.  She can’t hear us.  We're gonna have to leave her.  Whatever she's worth, isn't enough for all of us to die sandwiched in this car."

"I can't leave her, Colonel.  She's just a little kid. Those things will rip her limb from limb."

"Damn it, boy, you’re gonna have to carry her then.  Don't you even dream of slowing me down.  You're still going to have to fight.  Keep one of your hands free.  Let's go!"

"One second, just one second."

Alex tore a long strip off a blanket, and used it to tie Christa’s wrists tightly together.  He threw her arms around his neck so she wouldn't fall.

"Alright, Colonel, let's go ... on three?"

"Just go, go now!"

Both doors on the driver’s side were jammed from the truck, but with a few good shoulders thrown into them, they started to open.  Chaz made it out first, then helped Alex with the rear door.  Most zombies were distracted, but a small one came at Chaz from behind as he opened Alex's door.  A hard elbow blow to the head from Chaz knocked the zombie to the ground.   That gave Chaz enough time to open the door, and spin around, stabbing the zombie’s skull with his knife.  Alex emerged clumsily from the car, holding Christa with one hand and his semi-automatic with the other.

Both of them crouched next to the car for cover. Chaz scanned for a way down the bridge.   "Alright, boy, let's get going.  Let's stick to the side guardrail and as we make our way.  That should at least give us some protection on one side.  Hopefully they'll stay focused on the pigs."

"Lead the way, I'm right behind you."

"Watch the rear, son.  We don't need anyone sneaking up from behind."

"Yes, sir, I've already learned that lesson today."

Staying low, they moved to the guardrail.  The first twenty yards weren't difficult.  The banquet of pigs kept the zombies’ attention.  Zombies will eat just about anything.  Nothing went to waste. Entrails, hooves, snouts and assorted body organs were sprawled all over the road.  The slower zombies picked up the remains, while the still warm choice cuts went to the faster, more aggressive zombies. 

"Not sure I'll ever be able to eat bacon again," quipped Alex.

"Focus, boy, it's no time for jokes yet."

They were dodging pigs as often as zombies.  The pigs instinctively tried to put as much distance between themselves and the zombies as possible.  In doing so, they kept getting in the way of Chaz and Alex.  A few kicks in the behind from Chaz kept them moving but still slowed down Alex and Chaz.  The pigs did however create a barrier between the humans and the zombies.  As long as there were pigs to grab, Alex and Chaz were able to move unscathed up the bridge.  The further they got from the truck, the fewer pigs there were to act as a buffer.  The zombies were coming dangerously close.  Alex did his best to stay close to Chaz, but it wasn't easy with Christa weighing him down. 

Chaz ran into a small group of pigs huddled up against the guardrail that were impervious to his kicks. That gave one rather large, slow zombie a chance to get within arm’s reach of Alex and Christa.  Alex squeezed a few rounds off in its direction; carrying Christa threw his aim off, and the bullets grazed the zombie's ear.  It came closer.  Alex compensated, and pulled the trigger a second time.  This time, the giant crumpled and tripped up a few other zombies coming behind him.  They got distracted with pig body parts scattered across the road, and lost interest in Alex.  Chaz gave up kicking the slow-moving pigs, and just squeezed his way through.  Alex followed as best he could.

"Colonel, if you were any kind of decent pig farmer, you'd just heard these oinkers into position.  As long as they're around us, the zombies seem to prefer pork chops to human chops."

Chaz continued to fight his way through without saying a word.  He could see what was ahead, and knew it wasn't going to get any easier.  The pigs around them were disappearing fast.  Pretty soon they were shooting and stabbing zombies as they moved along the guardrail.  Chaz fought with his knife and pistol, while Alex shot zombies approaching from the rear.  With a hundred yards left to go, all the pigs disappeared.  The zombies however, kept coming.  More zombies were entering the bridge, right where Chaz and Alex were heading.  They'd have to make it there without their pig bodyguards.