K. T. Swartz Page 15
She buried her face in his shirt. “It has to be done,” she mumbled, her words muffled. “How else is Max going to have a normal childhood?”
He held her tight. Didn’t say anything. That was who this was all for, wasn’t it? For Max, for Ehvon and Blane, and the other children that survived this horrible nightmare. What Michael did here and now had a reason – a purpose. It didn’t matter what he did as long as he didn’t forget the why. Because of his son he had a reason to get up in the morning.
Michael could still smell the ammonia on his hands. It burned his nose hairs, and he felt like he couldn’t get it out of his lungs no matter how many deep breaths he expelled. He slid his pack on, compliments of May and a trip to the store. Ammonia bombs filled his and everyone else’s packs. Carpenter belts held their close range weapons. But the ordinary household utensils had him thinking he’d left the Marines for a militant version of domestic Headhunters. The thought brought a smile to his lips. Their destination stole it away.
He left his wife and son with Rae and Tommy’s two kids, while the rest suited up. Cherise looked a little sick to her stomach, as she slid her pack over her shoulder. She and Rob would need to disguise their scents before stepping foot in the school. The smell of freshly killed zombie would probably be enough to send her over the edge, but she stayed silent as they walked in a line down Lexington Ave. May turned down one of the side streets right before North Maple. They followed. As he walked, he caught glimpses of their destination, realized the streets ran parallel with each other. May stopped, cut through a snowy yard, to the back of a house facing the school.
“We’ll probably find undead in some of these houses,” May said. “We can use them to hide our scent. After that, we’ll hit the school. We have enough ammonia bombs to cover several floors, but they work best if they have time to sit – so the smell fills everything. But just wait here. This won’t take a second.”
Cherise held onto her boyfriend’s hand. Tony hovered nearby. Michael started to follow May, but the woman looked at him. “I won’t need any help.”
“You don’t know how many’s in that house,” he said. “You could be overwhelmed.”
She shrugged. He followed her to the back patio door. The glass doors were unbroken and through the slits in the blinds he saw the kitchen and part of the living room. Both rooms were dark, with the curtains pulled down. May stepped onto the patio. And knocked. Michael looked at her. She jerked her head toward the house. Shadows shifted inside. From the living room came two figures, a couple. May lifted her 9mm. Two shots spiderwebbed the glass. Both zombies sprawled across the linoleum. Michael stared. Why didn’t he ever think to knock?
“Sometimes it’s just that easy,” May commented.
She slid open the door, grabbed a zombie by the leg and dragged it across the floor. Black blood left a smear behind, and Michael helped pull it across the patio. Kneeling, May got out her knife. As easy as it was for him to slice up a torso, watching this young woman slit the undead from sternum to abdomen turned his stomach. She wiped her blade across the back of her coat. Waved Rob over. He didn’t move. “Are you kidding?”
“Either do it or go back to the house,” Tommy grunted. Rob grimaced but stepped close. Cherise stood rigid beside her boyfriend. Tommy nudged her. “Go on.”
“You gotta be kidding me,” the woman said, staring as May smeared black liquid across Rob’s back, his jeans, and sleeves. Cherise put a hand over her mouth. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”
May looked at her. “You get used to the smell.”
Cherise closed her eyes, stepped close. “Do it.”
The woman cringed when May wiped the flat of her blade over the zombie. When the knife touched her calves, the woman’s eyes snapped wide open. She ran for the bushes. Tommy trotted after her to hold her hair back. When finished she washed her mouth out with snow.
“I threw up a few times when I first started this,” May said. “Trust me, you get used to it.” Cherise smiled weakly. Closed her eyes as May finished wiping her coat and jeans down. When they were ready, Michael called everyone over.
“You know the plan. Stay within formation. Stay within earshot. And do not leave your party. Don’t talk if you have to and stay alert,” he said. “Keep your gun handy, but rely on your bat or axe. Follow your team captain’s orders, got it?”
Everyone nodded.
“All right,” he said. “We follow May.” The young woman took the lead. In silence, she walked between the houses, to the edge of the street. They followed, staying low, watching as May hunched her shoulders, dragged her weight forward several feet to pause. Her body swayed once. Her eyes combed the school’s yard, the entrance. Michael peeked over the car hood. The building stood in silence, its front porch occupied by unmoving targets. May slowly drew her gun. In a walk so familiar, so unnerving to him, she shuffled a couple steps closer and stopped within close range of the zombies. She stood for a moment, just looking, her gun in her hands.
He could see her hesitation in the way her shoulders tensed, in her rigid posture. She said nothing, looked nowhere else but where she had to shoot. He wanted to take her place, but she was the only one capable of getting so close… the only one calm enough to stand beside the enemy. She lifted her gun. Aimed, and squeezed the trigger. The silencer muffled each shot. Instead of sharp, explosive bursts, they were dull barks that kicked each zombie’s head to the side. Of the three she hit, two fell. The third one turned. She fired again. It slumped against the wall; slid to the ground.
May held the gun in front of her. Eyes locked on the porch. But nothing moved. She darted to the side, out of sight of those inside. Her feet flew across the snow and she vaulted up the steps two at a time. On the porch she pulled an ammonia bomb from her pack. Hugging the wall, she slid under the front windows, to the door barely hanging on its hinges. He could almost feel her straining to hear over her deep breaths and – no doubt – pounding heart. With a mirror, she checked inside. Then stood. Let her body slump forward. She shuffled into the darkness.
“Let’s go,” Michael said. The followed, hunched low, following May’s path to the door. From inside the school, several noisy fireworks cracked and exploded in multiple ear-ringing bursts. Light flashed through the doorway, then everything went silent. A shadow moved; a figure darted into the light and through the door.
May crouched down on the other side. “They’re coming. I can hear them.”
So did he. Their moans floated through the air.
“How many?” he asked.
“I don’t know, but there’s a lot.”
“Why don’t we just burn the place down?” Rob grumbled.
“Because schools have too many resources,” May hissed. “I need those.”
“I figured you had enough by now. You’ve been robbing every house–”
“That’s enough,” Tommy snarled, grabbing Rob’s coat. “Shut the hell up before I toss you inside.” He slammed Rob back against the wall. “Don’t give me one more reason.”
Rob hunkered down against the wall, his grip tight on his baseball bat. He didn’t say anything, only glared at the back of Tommy’s head when the man looked away from him. The strong scent of ammonia washed from the door. May covered her nose, blinked a few times. Moans chased the smell on its heels. May shifted, her crowbar in one hand, her flashlight in the other. She peeked around the door. Her eyebrows pinched together, jaw clenched.
“How’s it looking?” Michael asked.
“They’re slowing down,” she said. Then swallowed. “There’re so many.” She leaned back against the wall. Her eyes stared straight ahead as he watched her fight her inner demons. But it was too late to back out. She blinked. “Give them a few more minutes. We want to catch as many as we can.”
“Is there a back entrance?” Liz asked.
May frowned. “Um, yes, but I couldn’t see it from the hall. There’s no telling how many stand between it and the ammonia bomb. I wouldn’t chance it.”
May ducked inside. Michael was right behind her. He almost stopped at the sheer number of small zombies in the hall but forced himself to keep moving. He, Tommy, and May fanned out in a loose line and began swinging. The ammonia brought tears to his eyes. As he swung, he blinked, tried to focus. Flashlight beams cut through the darkness, washing over faces, the walls, and lockers. They never stayed still, like strobe lights in a club. The sound of their bats and axes striking skulls provided the percussive beat, but there was nothing worth dancing to, as they moved – inch by inch – down the hall. Rob, Tony, and Liz took their places when they began to gasp for breath. The end was in sight; the window at the far end of the hall crept closer little by little.
A soft moan stabbed him like a knife through his flesh. One of the flashlights spun behind them. Cherise yelped.
“Cherise,” Tommy yelled and turned. Cherise brought her bat down, and the zombie fell. She stumbled back, gasping. Tommy pulled an ammonia bomb from his pack, threw it up the staircase as shadows stumbled down it. Tommy grabbed Michael. “We gotta defend the rear, or they’ll surround us.”
A suffocating burst of ammonia saturated the air. Michael choked, unable to breathe. Every breath burned. May, a bandana around her nose and mouth, ran past him as two small zombies reached for him. She swung her crowbar; the loud crack of broken bone, a fresh burst of putrid blood, was a momentary reprieve from the ammonia. The zombies fell, rolling down the stairs. May kept going. The sound of her crowbar against bone only blended with Rob, Liz, and Tony’s. Michael grabbed his bat and bashed in an adult’s skull when it tried to claw its way toward him.
Tommy followed May up the stairs. His swing took a zombie’s head off its shoulders, and it fell over the edge to roll wetly across the floor. May stabbed a zombie through the forehead. Michael grabbed it, heaved it over the edge, as another one reached for the woman. She winced as teeth bit down on the elbow she raised to protect her face. Without bothering to pull it off, she just slammed her crowbar into its cranium until it was bloody pulp. The remaining zombies on the stairs began to slow. One wobbled, as the ammonia fumes infected its nasal cavities. Michael crushed its skull. Tommy felled the last one with a blow that caved in the left half of its face. At the bottom of the staircase, Rob, Tony, and Liz waited for them. They were out of breath, their shoulders sagging.
“Holy crap,” Liz gasped. “I didn’t expect so many.”
Michael sat down on one of the clean spots on the stairs. “Hopefully that was the majority.”
Tommy nudged May. “Nice job with the ammonia bombs. There’s no place we can’t go now.”
May’s smile was lopsided. Michael waved everyone to sit down. “Ok, everybody, you know the drill. Sweep your assigned floor. Stick together, and look for supplies. When you’re done, find another team to meet up with.”
He and Rob headed for the second floor. Tommy, Liz, and Cherise moved to cover the first floor, while May and Tony climbed to the top. Michael let his light shine through the closed fire-door’s windows. A few immobile zombies stood silently in the hall. He took out one of the ammonia bombs. Rob stepped back as he opened the metal door. At the sound, every head turned. Michael set the bomb to the side and closed the door behind him. He and Rob watched the crowd gather on the other side.
“What’s gotten into you lately?” Michael asked.
Rob glanced at him, shrugged. “Nothing.”
“You stole a pair of wedding bands,” Michael started.
“So, what? It’s not like we thought anybody was still there.”
“That’s your excuse?” Michael demanded, grabbing his shoulder.
Rob twisted away. “It’s not like we haven’t stolen shit outta people’s houses before.”
“To stay alive,” Michael stressed. Fists pounded on the other side of the door. “We don’t steal to pad our own pockets.”
“Look, you’re not my dad,” Rob snapped, as the smell of ammonia leaked around the door. “Get off my back.”
Michael held up his hands. “You’re right. I’m not, but I am the leader of this group, and if this behavior keeps up, you can find your own way to Canada. Got it?”
“Got it, boss,” Rob mocked. Michael opened the fire door. The sullen college student followed. The force with which he struck the zombies betrayed his anger. He didn’t say anything, just glared as bodies fell around them. He stayed silent as they walked the hall, checked each classroom for stragglers. Michael opened the door to the chemistry lab, and he set his pack on the counter to raid the shelves.
“You know what I don’t get,” Rob said, leaning against a table. Michael glanced at him. “You said you’re the boss, but how you can just roll over and take orders from her?”
“You mean besides her extensive experience in an area where we have none?” Michael commented.
Rob snorted. “We’ve been doing the same thing.”
“Alone?” Michael asked. He cinched his pack. “You’re an idiot if you think you know everything, and you’ll only get yourself killed if you ignore help and advice from others. Get over your prejudices, Rob. Our world has gotten too small for them.”
The chemistry door opened, and May and Tony walked in. “We’re done,” May said.”There were very few upstairs.”
“Same here,” Michael said. “They probably all migrated to the first floor.” He stabbed a thumb over his shoulder, at the cabinets. “Found some supplies.”
“So did we,” May said. “We should probably help Tommy.” They headed downstairs. Found them coming out of the theater.
“Almost done,” Tommy said. “We just got to hit the cafeteria at the end of the hall.” Together they snuck into the wide-open white and blue painted room with its rows and rows of tables and colorful plastic chairs. A zombie still wearing a hairnet moved behind the counter. May dispatched it with an arrow to the forehead. The stench of rotting food hit Michael in the face when he pushed through the swinging doors to the cooking area. Besides the lingering stink, nothing else remained. All the food had gone bad years ago. He spotted May in front of the vending machine. She smashed through the glass with her crowbar, and the sound was like a bomb going off.
“What are you doing?” Cherise hissed.
“Supplies,” May said, picking up a packet of toaster pastries. She flipped it over to find the expiration date.
“Don’t we have enough food?” Tony asked.
May looked at him. “Why do you think we have enough food?”
Tony hesitated, then helped her rifle through it. Next she went for the soft drink machine.
“Dude, I’d kill for a D.P, if there’s one in there,” Rob said suddenly.
May glanced at him, then went back to rifling through the selection. She held out a bottle. “It expired a couple days ago. I’d drink it quick if I were you.”
“Thanks,” Rob said, taking the bottle. May and Tony filled up their packs. She passed out snacks and water for everyone, and then they headed outside. The playground behind the school was empty; its swings creaked in the slight breeze. Michael looked away as they headed for the train station. Instead of taking the overpass, they crossed under it. Tony leaned back to stare straight up. “How old is the bridge?”
May shrugged. “It’s had two major renovations during my lifetime, but I don’t know when it was built.”
Tommy stopped in front of the crane. “This is it,” he said. “I say we move the boxcars in a circle like this–” he jogged across the tracks, following his idea– “We can put ‘em one corner touching, from that bridge support column to the edge of the crane. And then we hang the blood bag from the crane, and kick back and watch the fun.”
“Works for me,” May said. “We’ll need a couple generators to be safe, some blowtorches, and welding equipment. I have both of those at the B&B. The generators we can probably pick off
any of the larger stores in Danville.”
“Then we split up, get what we need, and meet back here,” Michael said. “Cherise, Tony, and Liz, you get the stuff at the B&B. The rest of us will see about the generators.”
Tommy watched his girlfriend walk away. Michael rested a hand on his shoulder. “She’ll be fine. I wouldn’t worry about her.”
“I know,” he said. “She’s a tough lady.” He looked at him. “I just think so much of this is riding on these Zombie Bowls. This is the closest we’ve ever come to actually makin’ a real impact in this shithole world. If this works – if I see it with my own eyes – then I’ll know we have a chance. My boys might someday be able to have their own lives. They won’t have to worry about zombies around every corner. They’ll be safe, and I really want to be here to see it.”
“Me too,” Michael said.
“It’ll work,” May said, coming up behind them. “Just wait.”
There’s something to be said of hard work. It’s simple and absorbing, where your whole body is dedicated to the cause, be it welding boxcars together to strengthen them, or hosing them down with gasoline. Success is seeing the goal, watching progress being made. From the ground up they worked, reinforcing the boxcars to prevent the Bowl from breaking. Integrity was key.
Michael looked up at the overpass, where Marlene and Tony were on guard duty. His gaze swung to Tommy, who controlled the crane. The large man was grinning. He finally had something to do, other than wait for the seasons to change. May, Rob, and Arti all had blowtorches. Cherise and Liz sprayed the finished walls with gasoline. Rae watched Ehvon, Blane, and Max as they played look-outs up on the train station’s roof – out of harm’s reach.
Michael waved directions to Tommy as he lowered the last boxcar into place. The car floated to the left, hovering between two other cars. Michael waved it down. It hit the concrete with a thud. Perfect. Two months they’d been at this. With problems getting the generators here, problems operating the crane, problems among the workers, but once that first car hit the concrete, all the pieces to their Zombie Bowl fell into place. The pace picked up as excitement spread, until it was all they could think about.