The Orphans (Book 3): Strangers (8 page)

He hit send again on the phone and waited looking seeing it ws trying to connect but getting nothing from it. “Something’s wrong, there ‘s no way this many different cell phone providers aren’t working. Go get Eric we are goin down there to see what’s going on.”             

There plans changed drastically when the first of ten gun shots echoed startling all of the men. Cedric said, “It’s probably just the guys out at the gun club.”

Charles said, “Yeah because they usually shoot cannons right? There’s no way in hell that those blasts would make it to town. You know damn well that it’s coming from the school which is where the fucking black smoke is coming to.”

Tim went back into the bar grabbing his bar phone and called 911 getting a instant dial tone this time and a recorded message from a woman very kindle telling him that all lines were busy and that he was going to have to wait. He looked over at Eric who was giving ther performance of his life and at some point had moved off stage abandoning his beer bottle and stealing one of his friends glasses of beer. He was on to singing Steely Dan and looked the complete opposite of Tim who was getting more nervous about things as the afternoon progressed. He lookd out the door seeing all the men were focusing their attention towards the school and picked up a fortyfive semi auto pistol and slid it into the back of his pants and clipped a holster for a three fifty seven on his side as a back up covering both of them up with his baggy shirt. He didn’t need to be told something was wrong when he heard gunshots coming from a school rally.

Tim walked back outside and heard an engine screaming under strain and he lifted his shirt a little the men stood back a step when they saw the cannon attached to his side. Cedric said, “Christ man, you getting a little jumpy?”

Tim who usually wouldn’t talk back to the man even when he knew he was right said, “Well yeah when there’s gun shots going off in town, smoke filling the air, and screams that sound more like fear of life than welcome home I think i’m perfectly fucking justified in my hesitation. You got a problem with it, get a case of beer and fucking go home.”

Cedric started approaching ready to kill when a fourwheeler skidded around the corner. Philip pulled him back Tim jumped out of the empty street as it approached the men watched in awe at the two individuals who sped like they were truly on a mission from god towards the opposite side of town. Each of them had a rifle on their backs and they watched as the girl motioned frantically behind them pointing while holding on for dear life to the young man. Tim watched the kids as they turned into a spec in the distance not really able to process such a visual in the middle of a city. He turned around to say something to the boys asking if they’d just witnessed this as well when what he saw made his balls go up into his throat. Out of the shock he walked forward hands limp at his side shaking his head squinting trying to get the out of focus image come into a real visual.

What he saw was defnitely more awkward than the two teens racing by on a fourwheeler both wielding rifles. A mob of what looked like hundreds if not over a thousand people came around the corner. They looked to be in different states some were covered with blood, others looked like a land mine had gone off next to them limbs missing, blackened clothes. Their pink shirts from the school were darkened on half resembling two face from batman more than a school supporter. As they got closer he could see that most if not all of them had huge tears of skin missing from their arms and those that weren’t bleedng from anywhere else all had blood coming from their eyes. Charles screamned, “What the fuck is wrong with them, what are they running from?”

Tim was already pulling his handgun from behind his back pulling back and making sure that there was something already set in the chamber. He clicked the safety off and held it in a two hand stance. Thomas yelled, ‘Those people live here you realize right? I mean they are running for help it looks like.”

Tim said, “Bullshit, those fuckers are running with a purpose and there ain’t anything good about it. They look like they are going to kill, and it looks like we are what they are running for. I’m prety sure that they were running after those teenagers that came through here a minute ago. Look at them they look all kinds of fucked up, bleeding eyes arms missing, who the hell runs with missing limbs, i’ve been in the shit and this is the shit those people should be dead not screaming and running!”

Philip pointed at two extremely vicious looking women running side by side. “Would you look at that Cedric.”

Cedric who was looking around for anything that could be deemed a weapon was only halfway paying attention to his friend. “Jesus what man?”

Cedric looked focusing now and saw Lori and Lana running but they were running at speeds that he had not seen matched even in the olympics. His mouth was open as he watched them one missing a arm, the other with a chunk out of the side of her neck that made the fact her head was still attached a miracle in itself. “what the fuck happened to them?”

Charles backed to the door and said, “We need to get out of here, I think they are coming straight for us.”

Tim who was already turning to run for the door said, “You guys aren’t in here in ten fucking seconds and i’m locking your asses out of here. Those, those…...i don’t know what they are but something happened to them. i’m locking the bar down, so get the fuck out of dodge or get in here but do something and do it now.”

Tim ran into the bar where another one bites the dust was blaring over the speakers. He pulled the plug from the speakers not wanting anything coming from the speakers and breaking Eric out of his trance. He waited as the men sprinted in through the door and then slammed the large steel door home, never more thankful that he’d put such a heavy duty door on the place as he was currently. He slid the latches that locked it on the top, bottom, and sides home making it as secure as a tank. The door shook with a passion as hands on the outside were smashing into it. It did not give way but he felt that was only because there was no handle for anyone to hit on. The men stared at each other and Tim only shrugged he had no response for them other than things were not looking good. The door slammed repeatedly the bodies on the outside not getting bored nor would they until they had the meal that they so desperately seeked.

Charles yelled, “we can’t stay here, what the hell do you wanna do?”

Tim said, “We can’t go back out there, we can make a break for it out the back, but where the hell are we gonna go?”

Cedric said, “Lets get to my place i’ve got guns, and we can hideout there. I’m prety sure by the looks of my wife they don’t have a clue what is going on with themselves or where they hell home even is.”

The men nodded and made a break for the backdoor. Eric yelled, “Why the hell did you unplug me man? I was in the fucking zone, I was rocking balls out and you were getting my all for free man.”

Thomas yelled, “Just follow us there’s something wrong outside man.”

Eric fell into line as they ran towards the rear entrance. Cedric grabbed a wood baseball bat that one of the boys from the highschool team had given him when he’d set a new record. The other men grabbed pool sticks and they pushed their way out the back. One of the Turned had been trying to push his way past the others to try and assault the front door but when the back door opened and squeeked the Turned man gave him his undivided attention to the men pouring out of the bar. It screamed down the alleyway running at full speed, Charles ran up gripping the poolstick tightly doing everything he could to not shake holding the fat part out as a club. He saw how fast the man was running and he tried to judge when he’d be at him. Just as he thought he was going to be there the man jumped leaping into the air and off of the brick buildings side going even higher than imaginable and coming down with a vengeance crashing into Charles and the two spun over and over in a circle blood sprayed into the air the men backed up unable to comprehend what was happening to their friend. Charles lay lifeless after only a second blood going everywhere his body spasming hard as the turned tore into his neck and moved down into his stomach ripping his abdomen to shreds.

The men watched this in horror Philip started dry heaving as this vicious interaction took place. a second later he was bent over hands on his knees and losing all of the beer and food he’d consumed that day puking everywhere. Cedric who was no happier about seeing this ran up to the man with nothing but bad intentions towards the man that had just killed one of hisbest friends. He gripped the wooden bat hard sprinting at him he screamed his war cry that was instantly returned by the Turned’s gutteral cry. Cedric swung the bat down hard hate filling his eyes. The turned jumped to its feet reaching one skinny arm up to match both of the muscular giants that were on Cedric’s arms. He caught it one handed the men all saw this realizing there was something horribly wrong with this man that he was capable of doing this.

Cedric saw this and to answer took a step back and brought up a foot as hard as he could snapping it into the things chin sending him backwards in a arch landing in a puddle of dirty rain run off. As the thing tried to raise to its feet Cedric was there already wasting no time and bringing the bat hard and fast into the things head. The echo of the bat crackibg went through the alleyway engulfing it. The things head caved in and Cedric raised a seocnd and third tme cracking it again and again until it did not move again. “Take that mother fucker.”

Thomas ran over to him looking him up and down, “You alright man, it didn’t bite you did it?”

Cedric wiped sweat from his forehead trying to catch his breath. “NO i’m good, what the fuck was that?”

Tim screamed to watch out as he watched Charles rise to his feet, the multiple spots being fed on his body had made the Turn process happen at blinding speeds. The disease spreading through his just barely still beating heart. He reached his arms around Thomas gripping the man’s sternum while still chewing the bite that he’d taken of his own arm. He no longer knew his friends and reached in ripping a chunk the size of a baseball from his neck. Thomas screamed in pain and Cedric backed up a foot. Tim hollered, “It bit Charles and …. and made his something else.”

Cedric said, “Don’t get bit!”

Tim who did not need to told this waved at Cedric to get out of the way and after seeing what damage the bat had done, he fired the fortyfive caliber putting two perfectly placed bullets in the Charles and Thomas’ skulls each. The shells spun on the ground hitting at the same time that their Turned bodies landed on the ground as well. Tim pulled the revolver from his belt side and handed it to Eric. Philip looked down at his pool stick seeing Tim and Eric’s pistols and Cedric’s baseball bat. He threw it down the alleyway and picked up a abandoned two by four instead feeling better about its weight over the one inch pool sticks diameter. The shots Tim had fired off had solved their temporary situation but had created a much bigger issue. The Turned that had been so focused on the front door had started pouring into the alleyway. They ran fighting to be the first to the men each one just as hungry as the next. The men sprinted to Tim’s pickup. Tim fumbled for his keys as he ran and dived into the truck. The Turned were gaining distance by the second and Tim slammed the truck into reverse going out the opposite end of the alleyway. Cedric screamed through the truck window they are to close man!”

Tim found his gun handing it to Cedric who knew he would rought in hell took out the two who were in the lead that happened to be his wife and his best friends wife with two single shots in the skull. Both women fell to the ground smashing their faces open on the dirty alleyway. Their bodies were of no concern to the Turned behind them otehr than making them trip over the women causing a chain reaction buying the men precious seconds that they so desperately needed. Tim drove the truck down the alley trying to wrap his head around the hell that was engulfing what seemed the entire town. Faces that he’d served happily and with a returned smile usually were not trying to tear his bar and his own head off. He screamed to hold on as the came to the end of the alley where they could turn on to open streets. Cedric who should have been as terrified as the rest looked as if he was having the time of his life was firing off rounds. Tim looked in the rearview seeing another turned falling with each blast of the gun. Cedric was hanging on to the inside of the truck with one hand looking like he was riding a wave. Philip was holding onto the side of the gun never wishing more in his life to have a rifle still in shock at seeing his wife and Cedric’s wife lana and lori come after them confused and ready to kill each of them happily.

Philip yelled where are we going to go? What the fuck happened to…..to everyone christ they lost their fucking minds.”

Tim screamed through the window. FUck man I think that they are zombies.”

Cedric who had fired his last shot and was on empty sat down in the back as they put more and more distance with the Turned. “Those things can’t be zombies man they are fucking meat eating track stars for god sakes. Zombies walk with their damn arms out and wobble a lot. I don’t know what those things are.”

Philip yelled, “Yeah but they seemed perfectly content eating us didn’t they. I can’t believe you shot my wife.”

“Your wife was going to kill you, and not in the usual sense.” Cedric shot back.

He yelled through the window to Tim, “Go to my place we need bullets and guns and we need it now. I want to get the fuck out of town after that.”

Philip screamed, “We should try and go to that gun shop in town after we hit your place, that old guy Andy is probably dead by now.”

Cedric nodded, “Yep that’s a damn good idea man!”

Tim drove never using the brake more than he had to not caring how much distance that he’d put between himself and the freaks. He wasn’t going to let off of the accelerator until he’d made it to where he could breath for a minute. Eric looked over sitting in the cab shaking his head. Tim saw this and thought he had remorse for all of the people that were turning into whatever it was they were. “It’s alright Eric, we’re gonna make it through this man.”

Eric shook his thoughts clear, “Screw them man, my karaoke setup is trashed by now. Those things are probably ripping your bar piece by piece away. It’s fucking depressing, where am I gonna sing now? I have fans?”

Tim just stared in awe shaking his head thinking he’d probably be better off if he was on his own, not feeling very thankful for the three men that were with him right now. He tried to debate how harshly god would judge him if he pushed the man out the side of the truck. Instead he took the highbrow approach and said, “You are right Eric the world is truly missing out on the sounds of a god.”

Within a few minutes they were pulling into Cedric’s place. Cedric pointed to the backyard and said, “Let’s park in the backyard. I don’t think we want the truck sitting out for everyone driving by to see sitting here and running.”

Tim yelled as he flew into the backyard coming to a sliding stop, “What do you mean people drive by, that looked like the entire god damned town with the exception of the two kids with guns racing down the street. I’m more worried that those freaks are going to make their way here, there isn’t shit to keep them from making their way here.”

Cedric went to answer but sirens started going off blaring making it hard to hear one another. They agreed leaving the truck going for now was a pretty good idea. The four men left the truck running scared to turn it off. Each of them had the thought of being stranded in what they could only compare to as the devil’s mouth was a horrid though.The group sprinted from the truck to Cedric’s small house never slowing down. Tim was stuffing the extra magazines into the back of his pants wishing he had so much more than what he kept in the pickup.

              Cedric lead the group and went in first gripping the bloody dented baseball bat as if his very life depended on it, which if he was to run into another Turned his life very well could depend on it. Philip and Eric followed close behind all the men were wound tight as a virgin on prom night. Tim kept in the back he was freaking out but not nearly at the point that the others were. He’d never seen anything like this before at home or abroad even in times of war. Tim was sure that the military training he’d received had at least taught him how to stay calm in times where you couldn't think of something being able to get worse. As the pills rattled in his pocket he contemplated that it could have been his valium as well.

They went through the house methodically checking every corner and room. When they had found nothing Philip slipped from the group and disappeared into the bathroom. Eric moved to the kitchen and came back rattling trying to balance a handful worth of bottle beer and refusing to relinquish his grip on the pistol or for one moment put it down for fear that Tim might take it back leaving him naked.

Cedric disappeared into his bedroom Tim was trying to get the television to come in when he heard the rattling of a gun locker which might have been the sweetest, sweetest thing that he had ever heard before. He ignored the set and went down to the bedroom where Cedric was pulling out a small arsenal. Tim who had the sense to ask a very intelligent much needed question said, “You got ammo for all of that Cedric?”

He had a smile on his face that did nothing to make Tim feel any better. He pulled out a ammo can pointing at it proudly. “What do you think this here is?”

Tim walked in opening the can seeing it was almost half full, or as he was beginning to think today definitely half empty. “Cedric you did see how many of those things that there were. I mean unless you are going to never miss and you are going to kill like a hundred with each bullet we are going to need to find more bullets. We are going to find lots more of everything.”

Cedric was in pure agreement with him and pulled out magazines for the AR and tossed a shotgun over to Tim who loaded it with slugs. Screaming came from the living room the two men grabbed the extra two rifles and made their way into the room with rifles up ready to go. They skidded trying not to run into Eric and trying to not push him through the flat screen television. Eric sat unmoving in front of the set he looked frozen in place. Cedric screamed pushing him from behind. “What the hell are you screaming about dipshit?”