The Beginning of the End (18 page)

“Sidara, I want you
to give him cover while he hooks up the plow.” “Why? What are you
going to do?” I motioned to the house, “When we left last night,
I made sure the front door was closed.” The front door was open
now, and the white door trim had a swipe of black ooze on it. There
was someone in there. We headed across the street and split up at
Chev’s truck. He hopped in, started it, and pulled in the driveway,
so he could get the plow attached. I reached over my shoulder and
pulled out one of my fusion swords. I paused at the threshold and
listened. The October sun cast light through every window giving the
apartment a warm orange glow. The smell that had once been outside
the house, was now inside. A festering torrid stench bombarded my
senses. As I carved my way through the aroma, I was startled by the
creek of a wooden floor board, coming from Chevy’s room. I crept
down the hallway, both hands on my sword, locked above my head. I
gave the closed bedroom door a gentle push with my foot. As it swung
open, a steady squeak of the door hinges gave me away. A dead woman
who had her back to me, turned and charged with her teeth chomping.
She released a moan that caught me off guard, sounding more like a
cry. I was almost too late bringing down the sword, splitting the top
of the woman’s head. I pulled the blade free and caught something
moving in my peripheral vision. A little blonde girl, no more than
two years old stood there looking at her mother’s corpse. She was
moaning. I was fixed on her blue swirling eyes with the gray center.
Her mouth, blackened and her body was covered with dark oozing cuts.
Her diaper looked and smelled like it should have been changed days
ago. I was surprised the sheer weight from the waste didn’t pull it
off. The girl made a quick move, and I raised my sword. The girl
wobbled toward me and wrapped her arms around her dead mother’s
neck. I couldn’t distinguish whether she was pouting or moaning.
Either way, it was because of my actions, I had just killed her
mother. I can’t describe the feelings going through me. Part of me
wanted to bring my sword down on the girl to put her out of her
misery, but she was just a child. I quietly slid out of the room and
closed the door. The moans from behind the door seemed to be echoing
in my head. I had to pull myself away. I headed back toward the
kitchen and started packing supplies. We had the truck now, which
meant we didn’t have to carry the food. We could load up the back
of the truck. I filled two laundry baskets with most of the food in
the mud room. I peeked out of the window and saw that Chevy had
already finished putting the plow on, and was walking toward the
house with Sidara.

Sidara walked in, and
caught a moan from the bedroom. She lifted her M4 up to her shoulder
before I could tell her it was safe, “It’s okay! I locked them in
the bedroom. The rest of the house is clear.” She lowered her
weapon and followed Chevy into the kitchen. Chevy looked at the
baskets on the floor, “Good idea!” he said. “Let’s load up
all of the soda too.” We grabbed as much as we could and stuffed it
all into the back of the truck. Sidara covered the food with a tarp
while Chevy and I made a second trip. We loaded ourselves into the
truck, sitting shoulder to shoulder on the bench seat. Chevy put his
hand on the ignition key, but didn’t turn the key, “I’ll be
right back!” he said as he jumped out of the vehicle. A minute
later, he returned with both of our cell phones, “I thought you
might want this!” He tossed me my cell. “What do we need these
for? There’s no service, remember?” I hit the home button on my
phone to confirm the lack of service. I gasped when I looked, “One
New Text Message!” I opened it up to read. I didn’t recognize the
number. The message was scrambled letters and code. I guess I was
half right.

October 12th 2:45am

The office door swung
open with a crash, startling Cowboy. Wife Beater came running over to
see what the commotion was. Kane was standing there. Face beat red.
Staring Cowboy down, “What the hell are you doing?” Kane
screamed. “I told you to put those girls away, and you’re in
there making sure they’re comfortable with the lights on! I’ll
tell you what, why don’t you go in there and see if any of them
need a back rub!” Kane’s fists were clenched with anger. “I’m
sorry, Boss.” Cowboy chirped. Kane marched over close enough that
Cowboy’s hat was touching his forehead, “Have you completely
forgotten what we’re doing here? I gave you a job to do, that was
to go out and find me some goddamn girls. Besides the two you just
brought me, all I’ve seen is an old woman and a goody two shoes
mom. I am trying to start a new world here, and that ain’t gonna
cut it!” Cowboys face was glued to the floor, petrified to look
into his boss’s eyes, “We’re going out right now, Boss. We’re
gonna find ya more.” Kane glared over at Wife Beater, who had been
standing there the whole time with his mouth open.

“Somthin’ on your
mind, boy?” Wife Beater stood there trying to make his mouth work,
“No, Boss.” Was the only thing he could muster?

Kane turned away from
Cowboy and charged toward Wife Beater, not stopping until he bumped
against his chest, “Then why don’t you get your crew of fuck ups
together, and find me more girls?

Kane took a step away
and spun around focusing on Cowboy again, “And for the second time,
get that piece of meat off my cutting table and throw her in the
dumpster!”

The two men were almost
bumping into each other trying to get to Sarah, who had grown stiff
from the rigor mortis. The old woman was thrown away like a piece of
trash. Cowboy took a second to wonder how many more innocent would
share the same fate as Sarah because of him.

October 12th 2:00pm

Chevy backed the truck
out of the driveway, sat in the middle of the street, and asked,
“Which way?” I wasn’t sure, but we had to start somewhere, “We
saw the Humvee driving down Margaret Street, then it turned onto
Cornelia. I say we head toward Cornelia Street.”

Cornelia Street was the
main drag in the west end of the city. The sides were lined with
stores and fast-food joints that gave way to the big-box stores, then
finally a cluster of hotels. Without taking his eyes off the road
Chevy gave me a thumbs up, “There’s something I need to do
first.” Chevy scowled. We hit Margaret Street and as we turned onto
Bridge Street, I saw the police car with the dead officer still
sitting on the sidewalk. The battery had long died. The lights went
dark. We pulled up next to the car, and I could see the dead officer
slumped over the steering wheel. Chevy revved the engine, and the
officer lifted his head, biting at the window. “Why are we here?”
I asked.

Sidara sensed the
nervousness in my voice, “Have you been here before?” she asked.
“Yeah, Chevy and I almost died right there last night!” I said,
pointing at the dead bodies across the street. Chevy gripped the
steering wheel hard and took off for a clear section in the middle of
the parking lot. When he got there, he put the truck in park and
turned off the engine. He watched as he held down the horn. The
piercing scream of the truck echoed off the historic brick buildings.
Within seconds, dead were coming at us from every direction. First
five. Then ten. Twenty! Fifty! I started getting really nervous,
“What the fuck are you doing?” I screamed. Sidara grabbed onto my
arm, she was as afraid as me. There was nowhere to go, they were
slowly surrounding us. The dead were coming from every direction,
except the river. The scene of the dead baby floating in its mother’s
arms ran through my head. I knew I would remember that for the rest
of life, which judging from our current situation, would be about
sixty seconds. The dead were just a few feet away now. Chevy let off
the horn and started the truck. He slammed it into reverse. A few of
the dead bounced of the rear bumper and were squished by the truck’s
mammoth tires. Chevy backed up about a hundred feet and stopped
again. He reached for the dashboard and pulled off the snowplow
remote. Chevy fondled the buttons on the controller and the
hydraulics’ whined, lifting the plow into sight. It stopped when it
was even with the truck hood. Chevy took off hard, heading for the
crowd. The dead were no match for the steel plow. We didn’t slow
down a bit, as it carved through the rotted bodies.

Appendages flew in
every direction. An aroma of sewage seeped into the cab, and the
black ooze covered the windshield. Chevy stopped, and we all looked
out the back window. Almost all the dead had been annihilated, and
the rest were taking bites out of the remnants.

“You feel better
stud?” Sidara joked. Chevy hit the wipers and sprayed the blue
juice, while he grimaced, “Pay back’s a bitch!”

After Chevy had his
fun, we headed to Cornelia Street. We patrolled all the parking lots,
occasionally taking out a dead or two. It didn’t take long for
frustration to set in, “It’s not doing us any good driving
through these parking lots.” I said.

“Well, do you have a
better plan Two-gun?” Sidara asked, as she adjusted in her seat.
“Maybe Two-gun is right, my ass is killing me, and I need to pee.
Find me a place will ya, Chev?”

The look on Chevy’s
face told me he was in full agreement. Just then it hit me. Across
the street was a car dealership. The front of the building had a
garage door, giving access to the service department. “Head over to
that dealership. We’ll clear the building and back the truck into
the bay. We’ll lock ourselves inside and watch for the Humvee
through the windows.” Sidara nudged Chevy, “I bet they’ve got a
restroom in there.” Chevy must have had to go bad, because ten
seconds later we were pulling into the parking lot.

October 12th 5:00pm

Luther tried to lean
back in the Humvee’s driver seat. The stress of the situation was
getting the best of all of them and going back to the fairgrounds
empty handed was not an option. “Come on guys!” Luther pleaded,
“I can’t drive anymore. I can barely keep my eyes open and my
back is killing me.”

Cowboy dropped down
from the Humvee’s turret, “I’m not going back to Kane until we
find someone. He’s about ready to kill one of us!”

“Do you want me to
drive?” Wife Beater asked.

“Cowboy’s right!
Kane is losing it. Did you see what he did to that old woman? He’s
preaching about starting his new world, but seems to be hung up on
killing everyone we bring back. It’s just a matter of time before
he tries to kill one of us.”

Cowboy interrupted, “I
thought he was going to kill me last night for turning on the lights
for those girls. Maybe it’s time one of us challenges him.” The
two men listening both looked away. “Well, do either of you have
any better ideas?” Cowboy snapped.

“Let’s just go back
and tell him we’ll try again tomorrow. I really need some sleep.”

“Shut up Luther!”
Wife Beater called out from the back, “We’re the ones that have
to give him the report, and he’ll take it out on us. We’re not
going back until we find someone. Besides, shouldn’t you be off
trying to kill Superman!” Cowboy and Wife Beater broke out
laughing, “Ha! Ha! Funny! I’ve gotta take a piss. I’m parking
behind this building for a while and closing my eyes.” Luther said,
as he pulled off the road. He opened the door and hopped out to
relieve himself. “Hey! Grab me some Kryptonite while you’re out
there!” Both men leaned back laughing again. “So what did you
think of those girls we picked up?” Wife Beater asked Cowboy.

“I think that Sage is
pretty hot. Come to think of it, Kate’s not bad either.”

Wife Beater looked up
to think, “Want to know which one I like?” Cowboy interjected,
“Let me guess. Um, the old lady!” he burst out laughing.

Luther bent into the
driver seat, excited, “Shut up! Come look at this!” he yelped.
The men got out and gathered at the front of the Humvee. “What are
we looking at?” asked Cowboy. Luther lifted an extended finger,
pointing across the street, “Behind that department store. It’s
behind the building now, wait for it.” Cowboy watched, but had no
idea what Luther was talking about. “I don’t see anythin-“ he
stopped as he watched the black plow truck pull out from the rear of
the building, “Oh well, what do we have here?” The three men
watched as the plow truck stopped in the middle of parking lot. “Why
are they just sitting there? Do they see us?” Luther asked. Cowboy
looked at the building next to him, and figured it blocked the Humvee
completely. “Impossible. The building is blocking their view.”
The men watched as the black plow truck moved again and pulled into
the car dealership across the street.

“What the hell are
they doing there?” Wife Beater asked. Cowboy looked at Wife Beater,
but didn’t answer. They eagerly watched as Chevy and Ty got out of
the truck. Then from the passenger side, Sidara stepped out. Cowboy
shot a smile at Luther, “Oh yeah, look at her, she’ll work. We’ll
hide out here until dark, then we’ll move in for a closer look.”

October 12th 5:10pm

I got out of the truck
stretching, I guess we had been in there longer than I thought. The
process of working out all the kinks must have loosened up my
bladder, suddenly I had to pee too. I walked around to the front of
the truck. It was covered in black slime and body parts. I moved in
closer to examine a twisted rope hanging from the plow light, “How
the hell did that get there?” The second I latched onto it to pull
it off, it became obvious I was holding part of an intestine. I
turned and vomited on Chevy’s boot.

“Dude, what the fuck,
you just puked on my shoe!”

“I’m sorry man. I
couldn’t help it.” Chevy gave me a pat on the back, “It’s
okay buddy. I still love ya! We just need to toughen you up a
little.” He helped me straighten up, and I headed over to the door
of the dealership. I reached out to turn the handle with one hand and
pulled out my Glock with the other. Sidara grabbed my wrist, “Hang
on there, Two-gun. This part of town seems pretty quiet. If you go in
there blasting everything in sight, we’re going to attract a lot of
attention to ourselves.” She had a good point. I re-holstered my
Glock and reached back for one of my swords. “Here try this. She’s
cherry!” Chevy held out his tomahawk. My sword gave me a three-foot
advantage, but that tomahawk looked so damn cool, I couldn’t
resist. The weight of it in my hand made me feel powerful. I gave it
a few test swings, right to left and up to down. With no conscious
effort, “Very nice,” escaped my lips. I raised the tomahawk above
my head and reached for the door with my left hand. Twist and push.
The door was unlocked. The heavy-duty steel hinges creaked as they
slowly opened, a cool oil laced perfume escaped. “Anybody home!”
I yelled. Trying to get the attention of any unwanted dead. There was
no response. I stepped in and examined the room. It was a large
mechanic's area with two hydraulic car lifts. There was an old piece
of shit hanging from one of the lifts. It was still missing a tire. I
could see a sign on a door by the lift that read Restroom, thank God
for small favors. An office neighbored the toilets. Straight ahead of
me was a set of large glass doors, leading to the show room that
proudly displayed a brand-new truck. That may come in handy later.
The truck was surrounded by cubicles on all sides. I motioned for
Chevy and Sidara to follow me through the glass doors. We worked our
way deep into the showroom, where the silence had given way to
banging. Behind the cubicles, was an actual glass windowed office.
Inside, I could see a dead woman with blonde hair supporting thick
black-rimmed glasses. Her white blouse was covered in front with
black ooze. She had her palms flat against the glass and was chomping
her teeth at me. “It looks like she’s locked in there. We could
probably just leave her.” I said. I felt like I had done enough
killing in the last twenty-four hours. “What if we fall asleep, and
she breaks the glass and gets out of there. She’ll bite one of us
before we even know she escaped.” Sidara said. She was right. I
sighed and walked over to the officer door. I lifted the tomahawk
over my head and swung the door open. The woman saw her opportunity
and charged at me. I brought the tomahawk down on the top of her
skull. She dropped right to the floor, my weapon with her. It had
wedged itself in her skull, taking it along for the ride. I bent over
and pulled it out. As I did, the suction created from her brain
matter made a song of flatulence. Sidara gave out a chuckle. Black
Death dripped from the blade as I handed it back to Chevy, “Here
you go buddy, it works great, and I’m never using that nasty thing
again.” Chevy laughed at me, as he wiped the blade clean on the
showroom carpet.