Whatever It Takes (4 page)

It didn’t surprise him in the slightest when a moan erupted from the bathroom door. Dead fists beat in rapid succession against the door as the zombie attempted to escape its makeshift prison and get to the meal just the other side of the door.

Percival moved up to the door and Sarah leveled the shotgun at roughly head-height. The zombie’s frantic bashing of the door was beginning to take its toll with the wood beginning to creak and crack. Percival hefted his sledgehammer and smashed it into the door. It created a small hole. He swung the hammer again and knocked a solid slat of wood out of the door and sent the zombie stumbling backward.

It didn’t take the undead woman long to scramble back up to the door and utter a vicious, guttural growl as she thrust her arm through the hole and swiped at Percival. He had time enough to notice a pair of slices nearly down her wrist from where the woman had committed suicide before the arm disintegrated into a cloud of gore that splattered his visor. Percival heard the ratcheting of the shotgun before he noticed the absence of the sounds of the zombie woman.

“Thanks,” he muttered.

“You look good in red.”

He couldn’t see her mouth, but he was almost certain she was grinning behind the N95 respirator. He took out his flashlight and shined it through the hole created by his sledgehammer and Sarah’s shotgun blast.

After he was sufficiently sure that no other zombies were in the room, he reached through and unlocked the door. He withdrew his arm and twisted the knob, shoving hard to move the corpse on the other side so he could enter. The corpse was nude, the woman had likely died in the bath. Percival stopped himself from imagining her last few hours. It was easier to look at the corpses of the undead as corpses of zombies rather than corpses of people who were human before turning. Humanizing them would just make putting them down difficult.

He swiped a towel from the rack on the wall and wiped it across the front of his helmet. It just smeared the red and made it harder to see. He let out a sigh and thrust the visor up and threw the towel down. He’d collect a second one to take with him outside to find a puddle later. He swept his flashlight’s beam around the bathroom and stepped back out.

“Just the one,” he said.

Sarah nodded and moved in front of the bedroom door. She leveled the shotgun at head-height again and waited for Percival. Percival pushed his visor down and reached over to the doorknob. He twisted it to no effect other than rattling the door in the frame. He let out a sigh and swiftly slammed his sledgehammer into the door, popping it open.

Sarah let out a gasp. A wave of confusion swept into Percival. Sarah was among the strongest willed zombie fighters he knew, and she’d not gasp at just anything. He stepped back and hefted the hammer as he moved to see into the room.

Sarah’s flashlight was fixed on a body suspended from a rope in the middle of the room. It didn’t twitch or struggle with the ferocity of the undead, meaning the man had hung himself and was clean and uninfected.

Percival lowered his hammer and reached across and gently pressed Sarah’s shotgun, and light, down. While it was easy to forget a thrashing, hungry, angry, corpse was once a human, seeing the still visage of death was a different matter entirely. Percival was already making up the story of two lovers, one infected and one not, killing themselves because of the shit that was hitting the fan in the world.

And if they’d just held out longer, maybe someone would have found them. Maybe someone would have come to help, to take the man away to safety where he’d continue to survive and maybe even move onto another lover.

Sarah’s gaze hadn’t left the darkened room. Percival pressed his arm across Sarah’s front and turned her away from the room. He slid his visor back up.

“We’re done here.” He pushed her toward the front door. “I’ll be out in a moment.”

Sarah reluctantly walked to the front door. Her steps were slow and deadened. It reminded Percival of the lumbering step of a zombie that hadn’t yet detected prey. He frowned. Her sudden change in demeanor didn’t sit well with him. He wondered if he looked the same the moment Nadia fell. He watched her disappear through the door before turning back to the bedroom.

Percival stared at the suspended corpse. He propped his sledgehammer by the door and crossed the room to the corpse. He picked up the toppled chair and climbed up on top. He drew his knife and sawed through the thin rope suspending the corpse. It fell to the floor with a thud. Percival spent a few minutes properly stretching the corpse out into a laying position. He tugged the blanket from the bed and draped it over the corpse before leaving the apartment.

Sarah was sitting on the floor with her back to the wall and her facemask off.

“Why?” She didn’t look up as she spoke.

Percival moved around in front of her and crouched down. “I don’t know. Maybe she knew she was infected and they chose to go out together. Maybe it was too tough for him to go on without her. I didn’t know them and don’t know their reasons.”

“It’s stupid.”

“I’m willing to agree with that statement. Especially given the state of the world.” He stood up and offered her his hand. “The world certainly needs as many of us alive and healthy.”

“Promise me something.” Sarah scooped up her discarded face gear and shotgun before accepting Percival’s hand.

“What’s that?” He asked as he helped her to her feet.

She handed him the shotgun and took her time properly securing her facemask and goggles once more. “If somethin’ happens to me, move on. Don’t do something stupid or heroic.”

“Of course not.” Percival felt as though the words were a lie. He’d not commit suicide, certainly, but he couldn’t say that he wouldn’t do ‘something stupid’ and ‘heroic’ in her name.

“You better not. They need you too much.” Sarah took the shotgun back from him. “What were you doing in there?”

“I cut the guy down and put a blanket over him. A little more dignified than continuing to hang there.”

Sarah nodded. “That’s a good thing you did.”

Percival smiled and motioned for her to head to the stairs. There was one more floor to check before he could declare the building safe for occupation. Especially since he intended to let his group of survivors stay there for a full day before moving again. They all needed time to properly rest and grieve.

The longer length of rest time would also give time to scour the near two dozen apartments for useful items.

*

“Can I talk with you?” Karl asked. “In private?”

Percival nodded. Checking the second floor apartments had yielded no zombies and they were on their way back to the first floor to help Evan and Andrina secure the door. “Can it wait until after the barricade is up?”

“They know what their doing and Roy Joy’ll be there to provide muscle. Hell, he’s carrying that door easy enough.”

Percival let out a soft sigh and nodded. He stopped on the stairs and called down to the others. “Karl and I’ll be down in a moment. We’re going to check that last apartment again.”

Sarah and Evan both looked up at him and nodded.

Percival started back up the stairs with Karl. They went into the last apartment they’d searched. Karl closed the door behind them.

“What precisely did you want to talk about?” Percival left the living room area and entered the kitchen and began sifting through drawers and cabinets there. He didn’t see any reason not to begin the search now.

“Nadia’s death wasn’t your fault. I don’t want to breaking down out here.” Karl moved to the archway that separated the kitchen from the living room. He held his flashlight up so that it illuminated Percival’s work.

“Yeah. I know that. It was the zombies’ fault,” Percival snapped at the older man. He’d had something along the same conversation with Sarah and didn’t feel like repeating it. He especially didn’t want to repeat it with a former teacher.

“Don’t get short with me, boy.” Karl’s tone was stern. Most who said such words would sound angry. Karl had managed not to. “I did two tours. Did you know that? Commanded troops twice, before I went back as a journalist.”

Percival was silent. He’d stopped his search, though he kept his back to the journalism teacher. He knew about the war stories Karl had covered, but not that he’d been a soldier before that. Percival had looked up things Karl had written, but not dug into deeper into his teacher’s past. If it wasn’t in the little bio most teachers included in their syllabi, most students didn’t care enough to look further.

“I will take your silence as a ‘no.’” Karl’s voice remained stern. “There’s a reason I was put in charge of the guardians back at the college. Just as there’s a reason you were our defunct leader there and are the leader here.”

Percival knew why he was a leader back on the campus. Both sides, the remaining students and faculty, listened to him and would do what he suggested. He was leader here on the expeditions to find more survivors, supplies, and possibly other communities because he was a symbol of hope to the Brown College community.

“I know precisely what you’re going through right now. I’ve ordered people to their deaths. It’s never easy, but is a necessary evil.”

Percival turned to face Karl. “She wasn’t a soldier. She was a volunteer. I didn’t put her at the end ‘cause I thought she’d be best there, I did it ‘cause I was angry with her.”

“Everyone’s a soldier in this age. Just as every soldier was a volunteer of the past age. You’ve got to remain strong with these orders and directions though. Do you understand?”

Percival shook his head. “I don’t want this. Didn’t want it to begin with.”

“Good leaders rarely do. It’s tough. I know, I’ve been there. I also know you’ll suck it up and move on. Take your time tonight to cry into Sarah’s shoulder. It’s part of her job. I’ll command watches tonight.” Karl’s flashlight swung away from Percival as he turned to leave. “I know you’ll pull through this and you’ll be a stronger man because of it.”

“That all you’ve got to say?” Percival called after him.

“No.” Karl paused at the door to the door. He didn’t turn back. “I’ll always have your back, Percival. Might get me killed one of these days, but I’ll keep supporting you. You’re the kind of individual the next generation needs, and I’ll back that any day.”

Percival watched the man leave. He wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about the whole talk he’d just received. He certainly felt awkward for snapping at him. He slammed his fist into the counter. The physical act of frustration helped to vent some of the emotional stress he was feeling.

He hoped, at some level, that it never got easier to cause the deaths of people.

Percival woke in darkness. It didn’t feel like the normal comforting darkness he was used to. He wondered for a moment, as anxiety grew in his chest, where he was. The bed was comfortable enough, but it just wasn’t quite right. He twisted and swung his arm wide. He felt only sheets. He had expected to feel the cold metal of his gun or crowbar. He thrashed and bolted up right, gasping and straining his eyes to see in the darkness.

A soft moan came from his right.

“Hey… It’s cold out there. If you want to get up, get up and give the blanket back. Otherwise, lay back down and snuggle up with me.” Sarah’s voice drifted sweetly through the darkness.

It wasn’t the hungry moan of the undead. His heart slowly fell back to its normal pace. His breathing followed suit as he lay back down. He tugged the blanket back up to his shoulder and slid under the sheets right up next to Sarah. He slid his arms around her naked body and held her as memories of the past day came back.

She murmured softly in a sleepy voice, “I’m not interested in round three yet.”

He let out a soft laugh that sounded incredibly sad in his ears and kissed her cheek before nuzzling his forehead against her neck. “The first two were enough for the whole night.”

“Wanting pillow talk then?”

He shook his head. “Not entirely. Wishing times like this would last forever, is all.”

“You’re not dwelling, are you?” Sarah had perked up, the sleepiness falling away from her voice. She shifted in his arms.

“Maybe a little bit,” Percival admitted.

“I’ll climb back up on top of you and you’ll like it if you keep doing that,” She warned.

He heard the playfulness in her voice and knew exactly what she meant. He was certain she was hornier than most guys he’d known. “You wouldn’t. You don’t want to waste all the condoms in one night.”

“Psh,” she muttered. She added in a teasing tone, “Like you could keep it up all night long to do that.”

He shook his head and kissed her. “Whatever.”

He felt her hand slide down his body, and he stopped her well before she got to his crotch. “Not now.”

“You need to forget. We both do.” She referred to her own breakdown at the sight of someone who’d committed suicide and hadn’t even been a zombie.

“I need to accept the reality.”

“Reality is: you didn’t kill her. You didn’t sign a warrant, you didn’t tell her to jump off a bridge.” Sarah sounded irritated. “Now stop beating yourself up over it.”

“She trusted me to get her home safe.” Percival let go of Sarah’s hand and she slid it back up to rest on his chest.

“Shit happens, Percival. Shit happens and we just have to keep on keeping on. There’re still the rest of us that expect you, trust you, to make the right decisions to get us home.” She shifted and pressed herself close to him.

He liked the warmth that spread from her body to his. “You going to be alright?”

“Right as rain. I’m one tough bitch and you, of all people, should know that by now.” Sarah sounded confident. “We’re all more worried about you. If you can’t make the tough decisions, who will?”

“You,” he teased. He didn’t exactly feel better about the events of the past day, but it did feel as though he’d broken through a wall.

“Fuck that. I don’t want that kind of responsibility.” She leaned up and kissed him. She then sank back down to rest against his side.

“I don’t know why anyone would. It’s a mighty heavy weight to carry.”

She sighed softly. “Go back to sleep, asshole. I want a good morning treat.”

*

Percival pointed at a spot on the map. It was the location of a dealership according to a brochure they’d picked up from the visitor center for the town on the way in.

“This is only a couple miles from where we’re at and possibly has stuff we need.” Percival knew better than to expect any working vehicles to remain, but if the pumps had been shut off there might still be diesel gasoline left.

“The cars’ll be useless. Jimbob outside said they were all gone. He’s a trustworthy mate, and been quiet since he arrived.” Roy Joy fidgeted, staring at the map.

“It doesn’t mean other things of use won’t be there. Campus still needs diesel for their generators. Don’t dealerships have their own gas pumps?” Percival sat back from the table in the central hall.

“They do, but we had difficulty finding anything more than a drop our first month out,” Andrina said.

“The places we checked then were the commercial places. The dealership pumps have likely been turned off the entire time.” Karl picked the slide of his pistol off the table and reattached it to his pistol. “There’s also this gun shop just a block away.”

“That’s prolly been looted already.” Evan directed a laser dot to the map and traced a circle around a block. “There’s still the rest of the shopping district here.”

“It’s the other side of the town, kid.” Karl worked the slide of his pistol a few times before setting it on the table. He started pressing bullets into a magazine. “It’s probably still laced with zombies too.”

Percival’s mind went to the department store they stayed in the night before. It had been near the shopping district. It had been surrounded by zombies when they snuck in to search it. “It’s too dangerous. We pick a place further from the area.”

“Such as the opposite side of town. Correct, Mister Polz?” Andrina asked.

Percival nodded. “It’s dangerous and we’ve already seen that most of the buildings over there are pretty smashed up. In our experience, smashed front windows usually mean even less inside.”

“Whatever,” the youth muttered.

“Are we decided then?” Percival asked from his seat.

“Jimbob says—“ Roy Joy was cut off by Sarah.

“Yeah, we’re good to go. I also think we should keep this spot as a safe-house for searching this town. We’ve done it in other places.”

Percival nodded. Keeping this place secure as a safe-house would mean splitting his team up, but that’d never been a problem before. “Unless there’s some objection, I’m going to second that.”

Percival looked slowly around the table. No one voiced an objection to Sarah’s suggestion. He waited a handful of seconds before saying, “Right. Roy Joy and Andrina, you’re on guard duty then.”

“I want to go—“ Roy Joy’s voice took on the quality of a whiny teenager.

“We’d be honored to hold down the fort,” Andrina said, cutting off Roy Joy.

“Thank you.” Percival stood up and collected the map. “We leave in half an hour.”

*

Percival felt uneasy. It had taken them two careful hours to walk to within a block of the dealership and they’d seen only a single zombie. That had been Roy Joy’s ‘Jimbob’ right outside their safe-house. He couldn’t quite shake the feeling that they were being followed. Even though no zombies could be seen, or more importantly, heard.

The situation didn’t make him comfortable, and he regretted not bringing Roy Joy. The man’s insanity frequently held unique and useful insights into zombie behavior. Percival suspected that Roy Joy simply had a strange way of conveying what he had learned while surviving out in the open, on his own.

“You’ve been sitting here for nigh five minutes, chief. What’s up?”

Percival jumped at the sound of Evan’s voice. The kid was almost freakishly stealthy at times.

“Something doesn’t feel right,” Percival said.

“Eh?” Evan responded.

Percival thought Evan’s answers to serious situations were often a little subdued. Not that he could really blame the kid. When they had found Evan, a week prior, he’d been the sole survivor of a ‘last stand’ affair. Percival and company had arrived just as the kid fired his last bullet.

There hadn’t been many zombies left, but certainly more than Evan could have handled alone. Percival suspected that Evan had made his peace with death and never looked back.

“It just doesn’t feel right. I can’t put my finger on it, but it feels like…” Percival trailed off. He didn’t know what it felt like. “Something’s off.”

“Yeah. You said that already.” Evan turned away from Percival and looked toward Karl. Evan motioned Karl forward.

“He says we haven’t moved because something doesn’t ‘feel right.’ Your turn.” Evan walked away as Karl crouched next to Percival.

“You feel it too?” Karl asked.

Percival nodded. He was glad that someone else thought something wasn’t quite level. “It’s… too quiet, you know?”

Karl nodded. “It feels like the quiet before a storm. Too few zombies outside and on the streets. I noticed it while we were walking. Not enough corpses to justify it being other survivors who cleared the way for us either.”

“Felt like someone was watching us as well.” Percival frowned. He felt hunted.

“Well, we can’t just sit here for good, and we both know that, regardless of our feelings, it’ll be safer to search that dealership and the gun shop down the block while the sun’s still high in the sky.”

Percival nodded. If nothing else, a daylight search would allow them to conserve their flashlight batteries until they got deeper into the building where the sun couldn’t reach.

“Do you want to go with Sarah or Evan to check the pumps?”

“That’s awfully kind of you to give an old man the choice.” Karl’s face cracked into a smile. He couldn’t be more than twenty years older than Percival. “It’s been awhile since I had a good chat with Sarah. I’ll team with her.”

Percival nodded and turned away from the dealership. He walked the short distance to where Evan and Sarah stood talking in hushed tones. They stopped as Percival and Karl walked up.

“We’re splitting up and going in,” Percival said.

“Why’re we splittin’ up?” Sarah asked.

“I don’t want to be here any longer than absolutely necessary. There’s something wrong in the air and I can’t quite put my finger on it. Regardless, splitting into two pairs will let us search the building faster and get gone sooner.” Percival waited for objections. When none came, he continued, “Sarah, you’ll be searching for the gas pumps and checking for fuel with Karl. Evan, you’re with me. We’re checking for anything of use inside.”

Sarah and Evan nodded.

“If nothing else, we’re going to meet back here at,” Percival checked his watch, “three o’clock. The usual signals for emergencies and evacuation apply. If the shit hits the fan, make for our safe-house, don’t wait for the other team.”

“Right. Got it,” Karl said. “Well, let’s get going Sarah.”

“Oh, the joys of working with the elderly,” Sarah said in a playful tone. She’d also teased Percival for being older than her at times. Karl certainly didn’t seem to mind the jab at his age.

“Let’s go, young’un.” Karl walked off, moving to circle the dealership.

“Alright, kiddo.” Percival walked in the opposite direction. He approached the dealership from straight on.

The lot was mostly empty. The cars remaining looked as though they were firebombed and little more than the frames remained. The front of the dealership was littered with glass and debris. The large plate glass windows that once protected the showroom floor had been shattered long before Percival and his team had arrived. It created a crunching sound as he and Evan moved across the large, empty room. Percival still couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was following and watching him.

“Where to, boss man?” Evan asked. He had lowered his hunting rifle and had it loosely cradled in his arm.

“Don’t know entirely. I guess we pick a hallway.” Percival clicked his flashlight on, holding it in one hand and a pistol in the other. Several hallways stretched away from the showroom, leading deeper into the building. The further they moved from the showroom, the darker it was going to get. “Your instincts tellin’ you anything?”

Evan shrugged and started walking toward a random hallway.

Percival wasn’t about to complain. He didn’t know in which direction to begin their search and the one Evan had chosen seemed good enough to him.

The walk down the hall led them deeper into the building. They walked past ruined and ransacked offices. Many had glass fronts that were now shattered. Not a single one had anything worth looting beyond a pen or two. There wasn’t a zombie either, nor the rancid smell that came with the walking corpses.

After nearly half an hour of searching what were obviously the individual offices of salesmen and finance officers, Evan and Percival found their way into the maintenance bay. They passed the littered customer area and pushed past the doors labeled ‘Employees Only.’ Inside were racks of tires, cans of oil, boxes of parts and a trio of lockers.

Percival ignored the items of car repair and walked straight to the lockers. The first was smashed beyond the ability to be opened. The second had its locking mechanism snapped off, and the door hung open showing an empty locker. The third was what drew Percival’s attention at all. It was still secured with a dust covered padlock.

“Jackpot.” Percival smiled at Evan. He handed his flashlight to the youth and holstered his pistol. He pulled his crowbar from his duffel bag and jammed it between the body and shackle. “Can I have some light here?”