Southern Zombies Three Book Box Set: A Story of Survival, Southern Hospitality, and Southern Blood (16 page)

I go back to the room and have Marc sit down so I can look at his arm and change the bandage where he was cut in the accident. It doesn’t look as swelled as it was. I still need a doctor.

“Still hurting?” I ask him.

“Not bad now.” He answers.

“Lie down and sleep. I will watch outside.” I tell him.

“Did I hear a gun shot a few minutes ago?” Marc asks.

I nod.

I explained what had happened and he shook his head.

“I can’t take you anywhere without you losing your temper.” Marc says smiling.

“Kiss my ass. He asked for it. I wouldn’t have shot his ass had he opened the door. Anyway, he was holding Sarah, repeatedly raping her. He asked for it.” I tell him.

“Son of a bitch.” Marc says.

“I know, right. It’s fucked up now.” I reply.

I keep watch while Marc rests and sleeps. Thinking back to how the world was versus how it is now it still something that's hard to wrap your mind around. Will we rebuild? When? Is the parasite contained to just a bite now? So many questions and no fucking answers. I pray this camp were looking for isn't infecting people who have the toxoplasmosis parasite just to have them come back as walkers.

We try to see the good in everyone, but now, there isn't much good left.

It's been seven months since the outbreak and it seems to get worse, not better. The phrase I have heard often in my lifetime is making me wonder now. Is our God a vengeful God? Why has he sent this? Is this his way of ridding the world of the unworthy, like during the plagues of Rameses and the flood with Noah?

Maybe these questions are too soon to answer, but you can’t stop wondering.

I make plans to find a sporting goods store to stock up on some things we lost in the accident. I make a mental note to add a couple of cross bows on that list. We have to make less noise and cross bows will do that without guns firing. Marc knows how to use them so he can show me.

I wonder how things are going at home? I hope everyone is ok. We haven’t been able to make contact with the radio. I am going to try again at sunrise and maybe we will look for a better radio at the sporting goods store. If we wait too long to contact them at home, they will come looking and I would rather not have to be worried about my whole family being out here. And how is my Riley? I miss his barking.

I hear Marc stirring and look over to see him sitting up.

“Feel better?” I ask.

He nods.

“You about ready to move out? We need to see what is going on in that building.” I ask Marc.

Again, he nods.

Marc gets up and we head out to find a sporting goods store.

“You can’t hold a crossbow with a broken arm, can you?” I ask Marc.

“No, they are heavy and I can’t pull it back to set it. Why?” he asks.

“I’m going to get a few of them. I want to learn to shoot with one. No noise. I’m going to get a few machetes too. We need to take stabs in their heads so we don’t have to use a gun. It only draws more.” I tell Marc.

“Can you pull them damn thing back to set it to fire? That can be 150 pounds or more you are pulling to lock. And, will you be able to reload it fast enough?” Marc asks me.

“Well, if I can’t, my ass will be chewed up then, right? Don’t they make them with less cocking pounds? I thought I saw one once with 75 pounds pull.” I say.

“Well, they do. But they also travel a shorter distance. If you have a 175 pound pull it may travel 350 feet or more. And I don’t think you can pull a 350 pound back fast enough.” Marc says.

“Well, nothing like family to put you in your place and tell you what you can’t do.” I tell Marc.

“Bitch, please. I would rather not have to tell momma that I left her baby sister in Jackson as a Zombie because she wanted to try out a new crossbow.” Marc says with a snort.

“You’d leave me as a zombie, you jackass?” I ask him.

“I’d stab you right in the head.” He says.

“Comforting.” I tell him.

“We’re here. Bring your ass nephew.” I tell Marc.

“My arm is broken so give me a second.” He says.

“Right. Your arm is broken, not your damn legs. Get your ass on.” I tell him.

“You’re worse than momma.” Marc says.

“You haven’t seen shit yet bud.” I tell him laughing.

“Holy hell in a hand basket.” Marc says under his breath.

We get into the store and head to the ammo. We load up on what we are out of and I grab three crossbows, four machetes, and straps and scabbards. I pick another pair of binoculars as we have lost one, probably in the accident.

I look over to see Marc piling the beef jerky into his backpack. Hey, it goes a long way plus it won’t spoil on you.

We make our way back to the front to see we have a few followers.

“I’ll get them.” I tell Marc.

I walk over and stab each of them in the top of the heads. We continue out the front and to the truck.

With everything loaded, we start on our way to find the place we are looking for.

“So, do you think it will be a tall building or a single level? You think they may have an underground facility in there?” I ask Marc.

“Probably. I think they would feel safer being underground so they aren’t seen.” Marc says.

I nod.

“We’ll just sit and watch to see if there is people being moved in and out.” Marc says.

“We need to look for a way in too.” I say.

“Come on and show me how to load this bow.” I tell Marc.

“I’ll tell you as you go.” He says.

“What is this rope for?” I ask.

“That’s the cocking rope. You use it to pull back on the string. It eases the tension on higher pound cocking bows. Just grab and pull until you can get the string lodged in the catch.” Marc says.

So, this is a 150-pound pressure bow. The cocking rope makes the pressure to pull about 75-80 pounds. Doesn’t sound like much, right? Try to pull it back and hold it long enough to get the string in place.

I get the string pulled back and hooked in place.

“Keep fingers off the trigger.” Marc says.

I give him a glare. Even I know that.

“Get your bolt, lay it in the bolt holder on the bow and it will sit to connect with the string. Hold it up and aim like a rifle. You’re going to have to set your scope, I’m sure it isn’t since its new. So aim and let’s see how far off it is. It takes about five pounds of squeeze to fire the bolt.” Marc says.

I pull the bow up to my shoulder and aim at a road sign. It misses my target by about three inches too far right.

“Sit it down here and I can show you how to set the scope.” Marc says.

He shows me the elevation and windage caps and shows me how to turn them. I try four more shots until we have it set to perfect aim. I have 100 bolts and 35 arrows. The bow itself will hold five arrows and Marc is constructing me a carrier for the rest of them. I just have to remember to pull my arrows out each time I use one.

“So, the bolts travel faster?” I ask.

“Not really. Arrows are lighter, the bolts do more damage.” He says.

We watch. We wait. Not one person stirs around that building.

“How long you think this shot will last?” Marc asks.

I shrug. “Who knows. We don’t even know if the CDC is working on any cures. We don’t know if the CDC or government still exists. There are no officials around. And what the hell are these idiots doing? Are they helping or hurting? Are they doing shit to make things worse or what? You can’t trust anyone now. People are out for their own pleasures and world domination shit. Who the hell wants to dominate a world with no humans left? That’s what we are getting to. All of us are dying out and you have dumbasses who want to dominate while the human race is at extinction level.” I say.

Marc nods.

We see someone come out of a side door and get into a white Crown Victoria car.

“Wonder who that is?” I ask.

“I’m going to walk around the corner and see if I can tell which way they go.” Marc says.

“Now why in the hell do you want to split up?” I ask him.

“Not splitting up, walking around the corner. Big difference.” Marc says.

“I will kick your ass. Don’t make me come look for you.” I tell him.

“Splitting up never ends well in the movies.” I say to him.

I get an eye roll.

Marc walks around the corner and I continue to watch the building. We are about 100 yards from where the car left. I don’t see anyone else moving around so I start watching up high. On the corners of the building, at entrances and other areas where a camera may be hidden. I don’t see anything but that doesn’t mean it’s not there. Dammit, why can’t it be just a cut and dry situation? We see people and can see where they are going. But no, we have to be left wondering.

Suddenly, a side door swings open and a man comes running out. There are three other men behind him. I whistle around the corner for Marc and he comes back.

“What’s up?” he asks.

I point to the running man.

“Looks like he doesn’t much want to be here.” Marc says.

“No shit.” I tell him.

“Stay here.” I tell Marc.

He looks at me.

“Stay your broke arm ass here so I can try and head the runner off. I want to see why he’s running. If I have to ill shoot the other three. They probably deserve it anyway. Bastards.” I tell Marc.

“Fine.” Marc says.

I duck down and walk around the front where the runner came from and still see the chasers behind him. Should I start shooting them? So I do. I pull up the bow and continue walking toward them. About thirty yards away I can get a good shot in. It’s dark and hard to see, but they are under a light here. I aim at the first chaser with a bolt loaded bow. His knee shatters. I can hear breaking bones as the bolt passes through it. He falls screaming. The other two are looking around telling him to shut the hell up, he will draw walkers.

You don’t say? I think to myself.

I look again at chaser number two. He turns at the last minute and I get him dead in the ass. An ass wound hurts, don’t let anyone say it don’t. He falls screaming.

I hear them chattering now about “someone is taking us out.” I aim and fire at chaser three and as I pull the trigger, a walker runs into my back and knocks me forward making my aim fall to number three’s chest. I turn and stab the walker in the head as chaser three drops faster than a dancer on a stripper pole. Dead. Oops. I didn’t mean to kill him, but like I said, he probably asked for it at some point. I turn to see where Marc is. And he is sitting where I left him shaking his head at me. I flip him a finger and start walking over to the chasers.

“Well hello men. Sorry to shoot your asses, but why were you chasing that man?” I ask.

“Fuck you bitch.” Chaser one says.

“Now why in the hell do you want to piss her off?” Marc asks from behind me.

He has apparently joined the party.

“Fuck you too.” Chaser two tells Marc.

“Well, aren’t y’all just little rays of sunshine on a cloudy day?” I ask the dumb asses.

“Stuart will kill your asses.” Chaser one says.

“Well, now, who is Stuart?” I ask.

“Fuck you.” From chaser two.

“No thanks, I have enough charity cases to worry about now. And if you don’t answer me, you’ll never fuck again when I finish castrating your ass.” I tell him.

He looks slightly green and he gags at my comment.

“Think it sounds bad? Wait until I hand your balls over to you. Now tell me why you were chasing that man.” I say.

Damn people these days will make you want to choke their asses out, especially when you know they are up to no good and they want to curse and call you names, like they aren’t scared. If I head for his balls, he will pass his ass out from fright. Weak ass people.

“Fine.” Chaser one says.

“He was supposed to be volunteering for some testing. But he ran off.” Chaser One says.

“Volunteering or being forced to?” I ask.

“It’s all the same.” Chaser Two says.

“What? Are you so stupid you don’t know the difference between being forced and volunteering?” I ask.

Marc and I look at each other. People really have no empathy now days.

“Forced.” Chaser one says.

“What testing?” I ask.

“For that new cure they say they have. It’s supposed to stop the parasite from spreading.” He says.

“Keep going.” Marc says.

“They said it started due to the population being infected with toxoplasmosis. Then, infected people got flu shots, which made the parasite mutate. Now they are trying to see if they can stop the mutation of the toxoplasmosis gondii parasite in people who are getting flu shots.” He says.