Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Tom stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen, grabbing his Kevlar vest and throwing it on. He reached into one of the pockets and pulled out the key to the Titan. Everything was happening too fast, and they weren’t prepared to leave at all.

“Jake, start up the truck!” He tossed the kid the key.

“But-”

“Nick will cover you, Kath, help me load up!” The gunfire started as they went down a flight of stairs and into the basement. He flipped the light switch, the mass arsenal becoming visible.

“Grab whatever you can,” He told Katharina as he grabbed a small duffel bag and began tossing in magazines and boxes of ammo. “because I have a feeling we aren’t coming back.”




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Jake followed closely behind the officer as they made their way around back. It was hard to think that just a couple weeks ago he’d been running from the cops when they busted a party. Now I’m sticking with one to stay alive.

“Ok,” Nick knelt down on a knee on the side of the house, his rifle propped up against his shoulder. The zombies hadn’t caught on to them yet, so he kept his voice low.

“You start the truck, I’ll hold them off.” Jake swallowed hard, clutching a small revolver and watching as one of the undead bumped against the side of the truck. It was a young woman in its former life, one that Jake would even consider to be hot. A black thong could be seen sticking out of a pair of tight jeans. Her once tan skin was now pale but not completely gray, as if she’d died recently. Besides two, deep scratches on her belly, no other wounds were noticeable. She could probably even pass off as human if not for the drunk-like staggering and moaning.

“Go!” Nick whispered. Jake took off running. The dozen or so zombies that were crowded at the front door didn’t even take notice as he bypassed them. Taking a quick glance back he saw Nick keeping his rifle trained on the largest mass of zombies at the front. Looking back he was suddenly face-to-face with the hottest zombie he’d ever seen. Locks or dirty blonde hair that was caked with dried blood drooped over her eyes. As she lunged forward he stepped to the side, she missed him completely. Looking down, he saw that black thong again.

“Ah, what the hell.” He muttered as he slapped her ass, it was cold and he instantly regretted it. Jake raised the revolver and shot her in the back of the head, gray brain matter splattered against the garage doors. In unison, every zombie on the block turned towards him, and the crack of Nick’s rifle blasted as he open fired.




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Katharina shifted uncomfortably as she carried the heavy bag up the stairs, Tom led the way. Various rifles and shotguns were slung over his shoulders. He carried two vests and a bandolier of shotgun shells in his hands. At the top of the stairs, a zombie moaned in the kitchen. She looked over at the table and saw two of the undead feasting on the National Guardsman’s corpse.

Poor guy died without a name. She raised her .32 to fire, but Tom put his hand out and stopped her. The kitchen was deathly quiet, the only sounds were of the flesh being chewed between rotten teeth.

“No need to bring any unwanted attention.” He said as a zombie in a mailman uniform looked up at her. She looked into his milky white eyes as he continued chewing, wondering what his story had been. The undead mailman looked away as he dug back into his feast.

She kept her handgun trained on them as they crept forward and out the back door. As they went outside, she relished the warm sun on her skin. Tom looked around for a second before waving her forward.

“Let’s go.”

“Why’d they stop shooting?” She asked as they jogged along the side of the house. The ammo bag was starting to hurt her shoulder, she readjusted the strap. Tom stopped suddenly as he reached the front. She stopped alongside him, anger flowing through her blood. The truck was gone.



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Tom held clenched his Taurus with both hands and kept it aimed down at the ground. He knew that Nick and the kid wouldn’t abandon them, they couldn’t. Then where there hell are they? He gritted his teeth as the sun beat down on the back of his neck. The undead were started to crowd into the main street, working their way towards the two mangled corpses still by the wreck. He looked back at Katharina, she kept her eyes to the ground, her .32 hung loosely in her hands and the bag of ammo caused her shoulders to slump to one side.

“Ok, I’m going to find out where they drove off to.” She raised her head and looked at him. “Just… wait here, stay down and don’t shoot unless you have to, you’ll attract them all to you.”

“Tom, I can hold my own-” She started to protest. He shook his head.

“Just…” He saw a flash of disappointment across her eyes. Ah hell. “I don’t want you to get hurt.” She nodded slowly. Tom turned back around and looked around the house, still no sign of the Titan or his friends. Sticking his Taurus in the front of his pants, he began to un-strap the rifles and shotguns he’d managed to salvage. A damn shame I won’t get to enjoy my inheritance, he thought. He took off his Kevlar vest and tossed it to the side, he was going to need to be as nimble as possible, he didn’t need baggage slowing him down. Chances are, if one of those… things got a hold of him anyways, he’d surely be dead.

He stretched as he pulled the Taurus out of his pants. His camo pants and utility belt was the only part of his military fatigues that he still had. Besides them all he wore was his combat boots and a plain black T.

“If anything happens, get the hell out. Don’t take any chances.” She nodded and stepped forward and gave him a hug and a quick kiss.

“Be careful.” She whispered, holding onto his hand. He slowly backed away, their fingers locking together for a second before parting; their eyes locked. He turned around and jogged across the yard and car port, keeping low. None of the undead noticed him as he darted between some trees and into his neighbor’s yard. He grimaced as he hopped over the partially eaten body of a small dog still attached to a leash. Putrid fumes made him gag as he swatted away the gnats that surrounded the rotting corpse. What was his name… Sam? No, Max. It was Max.

Tom hopped over a small fence into the next yard, running over to the end of the last house on the end of the block. He crept to the edge of it, peering around the corner while keeping low. More of the undead stumbled around the street, moaning in anguish as they bumped into one another. But still, no sign of that damn truck. Tom started creeping back the way he came, sticking to the trees. It seemed as if they actually did abandon them.

"I wonder if I can get that old truck running…"

He thoughts wandered off to Mike as he ran around the back of a house and cut through another’s yard to the other end of the block. They’d made it this far, made it out of the city of the dead, only for him to pop some pills and take the easy way out? He and Mike went way back, Tom remembered he was one of his first friends he’d made during his basic training and a tour of Iraq. Mike had never really been the hero type, nor had he ever been that talkative. He was still a good man though, and that pissed Tom off more then anything.

“Coward.” He muttered as he came to a stop at the end of the block. He was about to traverse down another block when gunfire erupted from Katharina’s direction.






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Katharina stayed hidden behind the bushes, watching Tom run off into the trees. The bag on her shoulder was really starting to bother her, the weight of the numerous cases of ammo was beginning to be a pain. As quietly as he could, she grabbed the strap and laid the duffel bag down in the grass.

“That’s much better.” She stretched her arms up high until her arm cracked. From far off, she heard a few gunshots. Her hands instinctively tightened on the .32, wondering if Tom was in trouble. No, the shots were too far off, it isn’t him…

“Guess I’ll have to take a look.” She crept along side of the house until she was looking in the driveway. All of the undead had their backs to her or simply didn’t notice her as they shuffled about. A chill went down her spine as she saw one of them chewing on a dismembered arm, greedily tearing away at it. She wanted to look away, but she was mesmerized by the scene in front of her. People of all types stumbled around the street. She saw a mailman, a police officer, a few in business suits, and even some in pajamas.

"How in the world am I still alive?" She asked herself.

Katharina pondered the thought as she observed the dead. The virus, or whatever it was, was spreading like wildfire. She wondered if there were any military units left, or some sort of law enforcement. The thought that all form of civilization being wiped out scared her.

A light breeze blew her hair in front of her face. She ran a hand through it and got it out of her face, a bush of roses on the side of the house catching her attention.

“Can’t remember the last time I got some of these.” She said to herself. Relationships never lasted with her, no matter what she did. Either she was “too naggy” or a “slut”, it always seemed like she was being dumped. Whatever.

She knelt down and grabbed hold of a bright red rose and plucked it from the bush. She smiled as she raised it and smelled it. The aroma was strong, and beautiful. As she sniffed it again, her nostrils suddenly constricted and she sneezed. Her eyes went wide as she turned towards the street.

In unison, a series of moans was heard as each zombie turned to face her.

“Shit!” She dropped the rose and raised her .32, aiming it at the nearest one as they began to advance, but not firing. She did a mental head count of each one, then looked at the small pistol in her hands. There was no way she’d be able to take them all on.

She slowly backed up, the sneakers she looted from the store in New York City squelched as she stepped on one of the rifles Tom left behind. Of course. Sticking her pistol in a pocket, she bent over and picked one up. She had no idea what it was, the large black rifle glistened in the sun.

Holding it at her hip, she aimed at the first to cross into the yard and pulled the trigger. The gun jumped in her hands, the recoil making her yelp in surprise at the zombie was peppered with bullets. The rounds slammed into its chest, ripping apart an expensive looking suit while trying to advance towards her, even as bone chips and gore exploded from its chest. Keeping her finger down on the trigger, she raised the rifle slightly until the rounds popped its head in a shower of muck.

“I can handle myself, jerk.” She said to herself as she prepared to take on the crowd. Tom would be proud.






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Jake swerved around the corner as Nick emptied out his .44, the empty shell casings clattered on the floor of the titan as he began loaded six more rounds into the gun. Nick feverishly looked back and saw that the six howlers were still in pursuit, sprinting madly after the truck and crying out in rage. He spun the cylinder and snapped it shut, pulling back the hammer of the .44.

“Slow down, kid.” He said as he leaned out of the open window. The kid didn’t even have his permit, but he wasn’t half bad at driving. The vehicle gradually slowed down as the six howlers halved the distance between them.

“Come on, you fucks.” Nick blasted a young girl in a school uniform with a perfect headshot. Her rotted skull was torn in half as the .44 round tore through it. Before she even collapsed, the five remaining ones sprinted past her.

“Hurry up, man!” Jake yelled from the front. Nick fired twice more, the heavy cannon jumping in his sweaty palms as two more of the dead dropped. They were almost at the truck, and out of time.

“Back up!” He screamed.

“Wha-”

“Put the truck in reverse, now!” Nick fired his last three rounds into the closest one’s knees, cracking them at the bone. As it tripped and its legs snapped, they two behind it stumbled over it as Jake floored the truck in reverse. One of the howlers let out a final yelp that was cut off by a sickening crunch of bone as the large truck slammed into them. Nick leaned back in the chair, breathing heavy. He dropped the revolver from his hands onto the seat and wiped his brow with the back of his hand.

“Head back to the house.” Jake put the Titan into drive and turned the large truck around before flooring it back towards the house, crashing through any shambler dumb enough to still be in the middle of the street.

“Not bad for failing my permit test twice, huh?” Jake asked as he crushed another of the undead. The truck bounced over it like it was nothing more then a speed bump. Nick raised his eyebrows as he grabbed his M21 and checked how many rounds were still in the gun.

“How the hell did you fail twice? That test is just common sense!” Jake chuckled before trailing off, a tone of sadness in his voice.

“Doesn’t matter anymore…”





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