Zombies (15 page)

“What’s wrong
, partner?  Afraid of heights?” asked Michael.

“The Mighty Rambo is not afraid of anything.”
  Puffing his chest out, Arnie was determined not to allow his insecurities get the best of him.

“Then follow me and I will go first,” said Michael
, reaching for the first step.  Moments later they were climbing the unending steps.  It was obvious the little guy was becoming more and more concerned as they ascended into the heavens—at least that is the way it looked to him.

“You will be okay
, little guy.  Just don’t look down,” said Michael.

“You just make sure you don’t slip and knock us both off this rickety thing.

“You mean like this?” asked Michael, deliberately shaking the stairs.  The sound of the metal creaking caused both men to question this decision.  They stopped dead in their tracks.  “I don’t suppose that was such a good idea.  Sorry, friend.”  They continued the climb with a healthy respect for the dangers facing them.  Quietness overtook the pair until they reached their destination, the top of the crude stairwell.  Relieved they had made it this far, both were now faced with another problem.  The last run of stairs stopped at the base of the final floor, leaving a gap to the roof.  Gazing upward toward the top of the building, they brainstormed on how to overcome the seemingly impossible obstacle.

“How are we going to get way up there?” asked Arnie.

“Easy.  All I have to do is give you a boost.  Then I’ll follow right behind you by standing on the side of this railing and pulling myself up,” said Michael, patting the metal rail.

“Are you serious?  Do you think it is safe?”

“You will be okay.  I will make sure not to drop you,” said Michael.

“I am not talking about me
.  What about this rickety old railing?  You could fall,” said Arnie, genuinely concerned.

“You let me worry about that.  Now come over her
e and I will lift you up,” said Michael, motioning for his friend.  Moments later and after a hair-raising experience, the two companions managed to reach the top of the building. 

L
ying flat of their backs while staring into the magnificent starlit heavens, they realized something very important that had been overlooked.  “How are we going to get down?” asked Arnie with his arms folded behind his head.

“I am going to be truthful with you
, my friend.  I have no idea,” said Michael, shaking his head.  Somehow they managed to laugh about their precarious situation.  In fact, for some strange reason they became hysterical. 

Then reality set in.
  “It is not really funny, is it?” asked Arnie.

“No, it’s tragic.  But look on the bright side, if you turn into one of those zombies, you will have food
for a while.”  Briefly pausing, Michael began laughing again.  They both laughed together, fully aware of the gravity of the situation.

“You shouldn’t even be here,” said Arnie.

“I know but what the heck?  I couldn’t handle all those women by myself.”

“I perceive Angelica is about all you need.  She is a looker you know,” said Arnie
, raising his eyebrows.

“You are right about that, but I was referring to the fact
that they would have never forgiven me if anything happened to you,” said Michael.

“Really?  Do you think they like me?” asked Arnie.

“Worse, they adore you and I could never compete with that.  So I have to make sure if I go back I take you with me.”

“Now you are making me feel important,” said Arnie.

“You are, my friend.  Those girls depend on you for everything.”

Chapter 13

“That just may work.  What do you girls
think?  Are you ready to take our city back from the zombies?” asked Niki.

“I am tired of living like this.  Besides, we can’t depend on Arnie for the rest of our lives,” said Misty.

“She is right.  We can do this; and when the guys come back to find us in control of the city, they will see the power of a woman,” said Angelica.

“Don’t get us wrong, but Arnie think
s we are helpless.  He treats us like little kids when we could help him get the food,” said one of the girls.

“That’s what I kept thinking too.  If only he had let one of us go with him
, we wouldn’t have been starving when there is plenty of food in the warehouse,” said another girl.

“Just don’t talk like that in front of the
menfolk.  Let them think we depend on them to take care of us.  After all, they have done the best they could; but we all know women are smarter,” said Angelica.  They all laughed, being in total agreement.

“What if they don’t come back?” asked one of the girls in sadness.  This cast doubts over the fact as to whether or not they could actually survive without the men. 

Finally, after considering everything they decided, it was a matter of confidence.  “We can do this and hopefully the men will join us shortly,” said Angelica, attempting to lift the cloud of concern.  She thought for a moment to consider what was at stake in this undertaking and added, “There are risks involved and some of you may become infected.”

“We all know that, but this is not a life
,” said Niki, looking at their surroundings.  “Give us a chance and we will prove to you and ourselves we have what it takes.”

“Okay
.  Then, if any of you want to stay here where it is safe, just say the word.  You can man the fortress, and let us in when we return,” said Angelica.

“I will go with you
.  Some of the others can stay if they like,” said Misty.  About half a dozen offered to be part of the group initiating the attack while the remaining girls chose to stay behind.

“That’s enough
.  And to be truthful, it is about all I can manage to be responsible for,” said Angelica.

“I will volunteer to work the door.  Just make sure you use the code
, or we won’t allow you to enter,” said Melody.

“
First, we need to scope out the area to see what we can come up with to help in this battle,” said Angelica.

“
There is a gas station a few blocks to the north.  Maybe you can find something useful there,” said one of the girls.

“
Great!  We’ll check it out.  Does anyone else have a suggestion?” asked Angelica.  They all thought long and hard.

“Wait
!  Isn’t there a fertilizer warehouse about a mile from here?  If I remember correctly, ammonia nitrate is an explosive,” said one of the girls.

“That’s a thought.  I w
onder if any of the trucks still run?” asked Angelica.

“Didn’t Arnie say he cranked the garbage truck, you know to crush the zombie?” asked one of the girls.

“Yes, he did and that means at least one of the vehicles still runs,” said Angelica.

“What are you thinking?” asked Niki.

“We will need some sort of detonator to set off the explosion.  It is a little risky, but how big is that warehouse?” asked Angelica.

“It’s huge.  In fact
, if you are thinking what I am thinking, we just may be able to lure a large number of zombies inside before the explosion.  This could wipe out half the zombie population,” said Niki.

“Then what?  That would still leave half to deal with
, and we are tired of waiting for them to die off from starvation,” said Misty.

“We will think of something.  I
s there anything you remember seeing that could be used as a trap?” asked Angelica.

“There is a huge rock pit in the other direction.  But I don’t know how that would work,” said one of the girls.

“What does it look like?  Is it deep?” asked Angelica.

“Oh yeah, that thing is dangerous. 
It’s a quarry.  We have been warned not to go out there, but we do it anyway.  At least we did before all this happened,” said another girl.

“Most of the young people went there on dates
. . . you know . . . to . . .” said Misty, being interrupted.

“I get the picture, but t
ell me something though.  Do the sides of the pit drop off—you know like straight down?” asked Angelica.

“That is why it’s so dangerous.  Some say it is over
two hundred feet to the bottom, but it looks much deeper to me,” said Misty.

“She should know.  Misty has taken every boy she
has ever met out there,” said one of the girls, causing an eruption of laughter.

“That’s not true, but they are all gone now.  This is all we have left,” said Misty.
  Sadness filled the room.

“Well we are going to do this for them
, too,” said Angelica.

“Who cares about those jerks?  They got what they deserved,” said one of the girls.

“Alice!  You don’t really mean that,” scolded Niki.

“I suppose you are right
.  But they were not always nice to us, and you know it,” said Alice.

“But, we still miss them and now the same thing may happen to Arnie and Michael,” said Misty.

“Don’t talk like that.  Those guys are pretty tough and really smart.  They will be just fine,” said Angelica.

“You love him
, don’t you?” asked Niki.

“I suppose
, but don’t you think he is a little short for me?” asked Angelica.  As the girls vividly pictured Angelica with Arnie, they laughed; and that was exactly the response she had hoped for.  What they were about to attempt was dangerous.  They could only be successful if they remained positive and upbeat.  However, the expression of sadness on her face indicated she did love Michael, and now his life was in danger.

Picking up on these emotions, Niki said,
“He will be okay.”  Changing the subject, she asked, “How did you two meet anyway?”

“We met in a whirlwind and haven’t had much time to really get to know each other.  That is another reason we are going to take your city back,” said Angelica.

“It’s your city too,” said Niki.

“Of course it is.  Now let’s get some sleep because tomorrow we are breaking the rules and traveling in the daylight.  I want to see what is out there and how we can use it to get rid of the zombies,” said Angelica. 
Excitement filled the girls as they each located their places to rest for the night.  Morning would bring many dangers and uncertainty as this would be their first outing since Arnie showed up.

* * * *

Gently shaking him from a deep sleep, Arnie whispered, “Michael, wake up.  I think I hear something.”

“It’s just your imagination.  Now go back to sleep
,” replied Michael, waving off his friend.

“I know what I heard. 
It sounds like they are climbing the stairs,” said Arnie. 

Taking
the alarm seriously, his companion sat up to listen.  It was pitch-black and neither of them could see a thing.  “Where did the moon go?” asked Michael, rubbing his eyes.

“How would I know?  But hold it down or they will hear us,” said Arnie.

“Well if they are climbing the stairs, that means they already know we are here, don’t you think?” asked Michael.

“
You think so?” asked Arnie, reaching for his mattock.

“Stay here while I crawl to the edge.  Maybe I can take a look without them seeing me,” said Michael.

“You be careful.  That drop-off is a doozy,” said Arnie.

“I know
.  I am the one that got us up here, remember?” said Michael, rising on his all fours.

“Yes and it was a bad idea.  If they manage to climb up here
, we are goners.  There is no way down,” said Arnie.

“They are too stupid to help each other
, and there is no way to get here if they don’t,” said Michael.

“You got here without help, remember?” asked Arnie.

“That’s right.  Wait for me,” said Michael, moving slowly to the edge of the building to peek over the side.  It took a moment for his eyes to focus.  When he was finally able to see clearly, he almost wished he couldn’t.  “Arnie, you may want to come over here.”  When his friend didn’t answer, he called to him again.  “Arnie!”

“What
?  I heard you the first time,” said Arnie, coming up from behind.  As they kneeled shoulder to shoulder while staring over the side, both men realized the gravity of the situation.  “Holy crap!”

“We are in a heap of trouble,” said Michael
, shaking his head.

“Tell me about it.  There is no way down.”  He thought for a moment
; and after considering their options, he made a decision.  “Draw them up here while I open the door to the stairwell.  It looks like that leads inside the building.”

“Are you crazy?  How will that help us?” asked Michael.

“Just do it.  And when I say so, you come running as fast as you can,” said Arnie.

“I tell you what.  You stand here and call to them while I open the door.  How about them apples?” asked Michael.

“Oh what I wouldn’t give for a nice red, juicy, delicious apple right now.”  He took a deep breath while closing his eyes.

“Arnie!  Stay focused.  What are you planning to do if I decide to go along with you?”

“Sorry about that little distraction.  I figure if we can get them to follow us inside the building, we can slip out through the bottom exit and leave them trapped inside,” said Arnie.

“Am I missing something here?  They will break down the door or come after us through a window.  What will that help?”

“Not if we light the building on fire while they are inside,” said Arnie with a smile.

“Will that kill them?”

“Yep, we fry their brains; and that will be the end of them.”  By now the creatures were nearing the top row of stairs.

“What the heck
?  We’re going to die if we stay here.  Might as well try it,” said Michael.

“I thought you would see it my way.  Now let’s draw straws to see who acts as bait,” said Arnie.
 

Finding nothing that could be used to perform the task, Michael reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin.  “Call it.”  With the coin hidden in the palm of his hand, Arnie called it heads.
  “Tails, you lose,” said Michael, quickly placing the coin back in his pocket.  Before Arnie could argue with him, Michael was already approaching the door to the stairwell.  They only hoped they were right about the stairs located in the center of the roof.  As expected, the door was locked; but he located a long metal pipe and used it to pry the lock loose.  “Bring ’em on.”  That was their cue to get the show on the road.

“Hey you! Are you looking for
something with brains?  Then you have come to the right place,” yelled Arnie.  He was staring over the side of the building and at the grotesque sight below.  The string of zombies climbing the stairs was enough to double him over.  He flinched from pain in the pit of his stomach.

“Okay that’s enough
!  Come on,” said Michael.  Arnie only needed to hear that once.  Just the mere sound of the creatures moaning as they climbed the stairs was enough to get him moving.  However, when he reached the escape route, Michael had another request of him.  “Stay here until you make sure they see which way you go.  Then join me at the bottom of these stairs and don’t dally.  If I can pull this off, the entire building is about to blow.”

“I tell you what, you get their attention and meet me
on the bottom floor,” offered Arnie.

“Fair enough, but how do you propose
on causing the explosion?” asked Michael.  Silence followed.  “That’s what I thought.”

“This had better work,” warned Arnie.

“Trust me.  This is going to be a blast,” said Michael.  He noticed the seriousness in the expression on the little guy’s face and couldn’t help laughing.

“Oh, you were being factious, smart ass.”

“Sorry, partner, but I need to get to work.  Now don’t fail me and make sure you get a head start on the stinky monsters,” said Michael.

“You just leave that to the Mighty Rambo.  I have gotten out of a jam in the ring more times than you can count,” said Arnie.  With that being spoken
, Michael began the long tumble to the bottom floor, wondering all the time how he was going to pull this off.  His friend was risking his life, and now he must keep his part of the bargain.  From what they could tell, the zombies desperately needed food; and the only thing that interested them was human flesh—more specifically brains.  Being there were only two anywhere in the vicinity, they knew what that entailed.

“They are coming and you better not abandon me at a time like this,” yelled Arnie into the stairwell
from his position on the roof.