Текст книги "Vaccination"

Автор книги: Phillip Tomasso

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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

Chapter Fourteen

The zombie needed to reset his stance after dropping Allison to the pavement, before falling to his knees over her.

Allison let out a scream. Her hands clawed at his face, and her feet kicked out at nothing. She tried rolling onto her back in an attempt to scramble away.

I struggled getting my tire iron out of my belt loop. It was wedged. Panicked, I gave up on the lodged weapon, and reeled back with my leg and face-punted a solid kick to the side of the zombie’s head.

My boot knocked the thing sideways, but not off Allison entirely. Its hands held fast to her hair and shoulder. I kicked again, this time, standing over it, clobbering the heel of my boot on its temple.

The drive pushed him down and off my girlfriend. I jumped up, and stomped down on his skull, and again and a third time. The fucker’s hands still reached out for Allison. She was up, and out of reach.

“Chase,” she said.

“I got him,” I said. I managed to get the iron free. I raised it over my head and smacked it down onto his forehead. The brow split. Blood sprayed.

Allison tugged on my shirt. “Chase. They heard. They’re coming.”

I didn’t need to look around to understand. I knew what she meant. I knew we were now in trouble. “We need to get inside.”

We ran.

The slow zombies marched our way. I saw that. The fast ones, the pack of quick zombies, they had us in their cross hairs as well. Timing was essential and obvious. We needed to reach the doors to the store before the zombies reached us. It would be close, photo-finish-close.

My legs pumped as hard as they could. All I kept thinking was, don’t trip, don’t trip, don’t trip. I saw it in my mind though, tripping over my feet, falling to the ground, and being eaten by monsters that–by all intent and purposes–shouldn’t even be hungry anymore. Gluttons.

Allison ran alongside me. I heard three things. Us breathing, their feet pounding pavement–and that pounding of pavement getting louder and louder.

Safety loomed yards ahead. Just yards. The way I bounced as I ran made the sliding doors seem to shake. It’s how my brain felt. Jumbled and loose, sloshing freely around inside my skull.

Then I heard, above our breathing and shoes pounding pavement, the groans. The moans. So loud, so angry. They sounded like a chorus of cries, like hundreds of fingernails raking across a chalkboard.

We were almost to the doors, to the sanctuary of the mall, but so were they.

I held my tire iron raised in the air as I ran. If any of those things got in the way, tried blocking those doors, I’d be ready.

Thirty feet from the door, it looked like we’d make it. Once inside the store we could quickly scramble for more useful weapons.

Or could we?

The doors were automated. If we entered easily, so would they.

And then it didn’t matter. As we reached the doors, as the doors slid open, one of the zombies reached us. Blocked our entrance.

Allison stabbed the pointed end of her iron into the thing’s face. Through an eye-socket. I heard a pop. Saw juices fly. She didn’t even try to pull her tire iron free. She left it, jumping over the falling body and through the open doorway. I was right behind her.

The bad thing? The zombies were right behind us.

Inside the store, Allison went left, to where I’d said weapons would be located. I followed, hoping they’d be accessible. We wouldn’t have time to pick through items searching for what might work best.

“Grab something,” I said. “Anything.”

Anything. There was nothing. Hunter camo, deer stands, rain slickers, shoes. Where were . . . what? If guns were on display, they wouldn’t be loaded. Bows would be behind counters. I expected to raid the store, as if shopping without paying. I didn’t think we’d be chased into the store.

“Allison, get to the mall, run for the mall!” I shouted, as I changed direction. Down an aisle, I saw the mall.

“Guns,” I heard. She was behind me. I didn’t think she was following me. I didn’t want to look back. I didn’t need to see the zombies closing in on me. Didn’t want to see them trapping her in the corner section of the store where weapons were kept.

The boom echoed.

I chanced a look back, just as another shot was fired.

Shit. Only one of the zombies followed me.

The rest were on her ass. She’d never make it. She did have a gun.

A third shot resounded.

I stopped fast, snatched a composite hockey stick from the rack, and spun around. The slap shot was a wide arc cutting up through air and slicing the side of the zombie’s neck. The cut wasn’t deep, but the artery severed. Blood jetted from the wound as I pulled back on the stick and swung at its throat a second time for good measure. The thing dropped to its knees, and face planted onto the tiled floor. I stepped over the beast as blood pooled around its head.

“Allison!” I started toward the back of the store. Two more shots were fired. At least I knew she was alive.

“Chase!”

Alive and calling for me. I ran as if on ice, the hockey stick in both hands. Only thing missing, the pads. I’d of loved to have been decked out in some hockey gear.Zombies’ would have a hell of a time gnawing on my flesh through all of that gear!

Allison ran out into the main aisle. It almost got her slashed with my stick. It also almost got me shot. The handgun was aimed at my face. I ducked, and swatted the space between us, as if I could bat a bullet out of the way like a fly, had she pulled the trigger.

“I killed like five,” she said. Her arm fell to her side. The threat averted.

“No time to brag,” I said. They followed her. Fast. “This way.”

We ran back the way I’d just come. The body of the bloodless zombie sprawled out on the floor was a small hurdle. Jumping over him was not the issue. It was the sticky blood around its head that became the problem.

Allison slid. A red smear trailed two feet out of the puddle. I clutched her arm as she fell backwards. It did nothing to stop the fall. She cried out as her shoulder popped from the socket.

“Give me the gun,” I said.

She wasn’t listening. I wretched it free from her limp arm, knelt beside her and nothing. Empty. I dropped the gun, scooped an arm under Allison and lifted her to her feet. “Run,” I said, needlessly.

Staying back, I swung the hockey stick at the next closest zombie. I was not lucky enough to slice an artery, but the stick did the job and smacked hard enough into the creature’s head to knock him off his feet. He went down hard. Sprawled out on the linoleum for the count. I straddled its body, raised the stick like an ax, and swung at his skull over and over as if splitting firewood.

“Chase!”

I almost couldn’t stop. Didn’t want to stop. My adrenaline was surging through my body like crazy. I could feel it pumping through every limb. I hacked at the smashed head one last time, and the blade on the hockey stick lodged into the gash. I needed to step on its shoulders and pull with both hands to free my new weapon of choice.

Then I ran.

Chapter Fifteen

Greece Ridge Mall turned out not to be the sanctuary I’d hoped. Allison and I were now inside a mall with zombies, and no closer to saving my kids than we had been when on the road. There was no more time to kill. I needed to figure out how to get to my ex’s house, fast.

“We need to get out of here,” Allison said.

There had been a zombie movie I’d seen. People gathered and took refuge inside a mall. Maybe that had been part of the reason I’d thought to come this way. The weapons in the sporting goods store influenced the decision, sure. The difference had been that the zombies were outside the mall. Not shoppers and employees and . . .

“Mall security,” I said. “We need to get to the food court.”

“Security isn’t going to be able to help us,” she said.

We squatted by the Piercing Pagoda Kiosk. Right now, I didn’t see a single zombie in the mall’s aisles. Maybe they were all inside the various stores. Maybe the few we’d led into the sporting goods store were it. Wherever they were, I was thankful for the reprieve. I worked on calming my breathing, settling my nerves. “I don’t want security’s help. I want their guns. The keys to their vehicles.”

Arming mall security guards came not long after the town curfew. Teens under 18 were not allowed to be in the mall without an adult. It was meant to keep riff-raff to a minimum. Worked for a while. The gangs of teens had people 18 years old with them, and so by the mall’s own rules, could stay. And wreak havoc. And did in fact, wreak havoc. For some time, Greece Police kept a presence as well. Eventually, they needed to pull back. The town was too large to tie up officers patrolling the inside of a mall.

“But the roads. You saw how bad they were. We won’t get a mile in one of those pick-up trucks,” she said.

“Even a mile, driving, is better than a mile walking. Safer.”

She pursed her lips, nodded. She agreed. “Okay. The food court.”

When I had been a kid, this mall used to be two separate malls. A transformation took place in 1994. The two were joined. The extension that connected them was filled with additional stores, and at the center – a huge food court was added. In total, the place took up over 1.6 million square feet. We were at one end of the mall. Had to go halfway, since the security office was located in the food court.

I lifted my head and peered around spinning displays of gold earrings and necklaces. I still did not see a single zombie around. “If we stay close to the center of the aisle, we have plenty of plants, and garbage receptacles and kiosks to hide behind. Looks like nothings out here, but we’re gonna move like the military, okay? I go, I check the area, and then you go – moving past me to the next spot to hide behind. You check the area, then I’ll pass you and move on to the next spot. See what I’m saying?”

She nodded. “I get it. Like S.W.A.T.”

“Exactly. Like S.W.A.T.”

She had no weapon at all. I had the blood and brained hockey stick. I should give it to her. Would she be able to swing it hard enough to kill a zombie? Truth is, if I kept it, I’d have a better chance of saving her and me, should another attack occur. That was just a fact. Or was it that I just trusted myself more than I trusted her? No matter. I was keeping it. Decided.

I took out my cell phone. No new calls. I sent a fast text to my daughter: Daddy’s coming. Stay where you are!

“Anything?” Allison asked.

I just looked at her. “You ready?”

She let out a breath of air that made her hair blow. “As I’ll ever be.”

“I’ll go first. You see anything, don’t yell. Okay? No yelling.”

She frowned, clearly not happy with so much instruction. I wish she understood, while I hoped to get us safely from point A to point B, my kids were the priority. She had to concede to doing things my way. No questions asked, or I’d leave her ass behind. It was that simple. I didn’t want to have to say it though. I just needed her to know it.

“On three?” she said.

“What?”

“You going on three?”

I closed my eyes for one long second, avoided shaking my head. “On three.”

“One, two,” she said, and then silently mouthed, “three.”

I stayed hunkered forward and ran around and past a Pagoda, and stopped at the table and three 7-foot poster stands that promoted the fitness center near the movie theater at the extreme opposite end of the mall. The posters provided excellent cover. I could stand and be hidden. I didn’t. I stayed low. I did a 360 and made sure nothing saw my short sprint. Didn’t seem like anything had. My heart was racing once again. The calming I’d done earlier, forgotten. The blood was pumping fast. My cheeks felt hot.

Inside Burlington, I saw two zombies. They wandered aimlessly amidst racks of marked down clothing. They looked hapless, and bored, resembling live shoppers as far as I was concerned. They seemed preoccupied with absolutely nothing. I had not attracted their attention.

The last thing I needed was for them to see Allison when she ran. I spun around, looking toward the Sprint store, and Abbotts Ice Cream. The west aisle was clearer, best I could tell.

I tried to use my hands to explain I wanted Allison to run on the opposite side of the Pagoda–not taking the same path I’d used. I snaked my hand toward the right, and waved her on.

I saw it in her eyes. She had no idea what I was trying to communicate. None. I gave her some credit. What I did with my hand resembled bad charades. I kept at it. I used two hands to wave her in on my left side, and then shook my head, NO. On the right side of my body, I did it again with my hands, and nodded vigorously, YES.

She nodded. Thank God. She moved to the other side of the Pagoda, and then found me with her eyes. I looked all around, thought it was safe, and nodded with a simple wave of my hand.

Staying low, she ran toward me, and was about to kneel next to me.

The plan forgotten.

“Keep going, to the next area,” I whispered. “Go, go.”

Allison looked toward Burlington. I know she saw the zombies inside, because her eyes opened wider.

“Go,” I said. “Stop behind the next kiosk.”

She ran. I watched. I tried to see everything at once. When Allison stopped, sat, rested her back against the wristwatch kiosk, I inhaled deeply, and sighed silently. When she waved me to her, I shook my head. She had not scanned the area for zombies at all.

This was not going to be simple.

Chapter Sixteen

Somehow we’d managed to leapfrog our way from the Pagoda kiosk to a center aisle kiosk that sold electric cigarette kits. This time, instead of running past Allison, I stopped and dropped beside her.

We both were breathing heavy. Sweat rolled down her forehead. She wiped it from her brow with a forearm. “I’m not sure how much more I can do,” she said.

“We’re there. Security is just around the corner. Once we get into their office, we’re bound to find weapons. At least keys to one of their patrol vehicles.” I knelt, ready to make a break for it.

“It’s not what I mean,” she said. “I’m not sure how much more of this I can do. Running. Hiding.”

I shook my head. “So what? You’re going to give up? Just sit here and wait for one of those things—or a group of them—to find you? You saw them take down that guy in the parking lot, the people at work. You don’t have much of a choice. We’re going to arm ourselves and get out of here.”

She almost laughed, the smile faltered. “And get your kids and go to Mexico. Mexico. Chase, do you realize how crazy that sounds? How impossible?”

I heard moaning. Groaning. We were not alone. Not like we had been for most of our excursion from one end of the mall to its center. Made sense the food court might be more dangerous. The smells. Probably drew them from all corners, like flies to shit.

“The alternative is giving up, Alley. Surrendering. I’m not going to do that. I can’t. You can’t either.”

“Because of your kids. I understand that. You have to keep going, keep moving. But not me,” she said.

“I’m not leaving you here. You’ll die. It’ll be a horrible death, Alley. Painful. If we end up going that way, then we go that way. You aren’t giving up this easy. Not now. Not while we have options. I won’t let you,” I said.

I watched her lip tremble. Tears pooled in her eyes. “When I say run, we’re running. Together. I’m not leaving you here. Got it?”

She nodded. “Okay.”

Had she disagreed, giving me any more problems, I would have left her. She just didn’t realize it. If she couldn’t toughen up, she was going to find herself on her own. She might think she’s tired, ready to quit. Once death faced her, I bet she’d run in the opposite direction screaming. No one gave in, gave up that easily when actually in front of death. No one. It went against natural instinct to survive.

“On three,” I said, smiling. “We got this, okay?”

“On three.” She knelt beside me.

I held a hand up, scanned as much of the mall as I could see. “I don’t see anything.”

“I hear them.”

I nodded. “I have a feeling when we round that corner; they’re going to be there.”

“So the plan?”

“We run past the Burger King, toward the restrooms, and here’s the thing – we try the security office door. If it’s unlocked, we can get in; lock ourselves inside if we’re chased.”

“Is that a good idea? Locking ourselves in there?”

“That’s if we’re being chased, and it’s unlocked. Otherwise, we get in, grab what we can. Flashlights, radios, weapons, and keys. That’s the main thing, keys.”

“And if it’s locked and we’re being chased?”

“Fire exit doors are right there. We just go out and keep running until we’re not being chased anymore. Got it?”

“On three,” she said, again.

“Yes. On three.” We counted together.

On three, we stood and ran.

We passed the Cookie Place, and Burger King, ran down the short hallway that led to both the restrooms on the right and stopped at the security door across from them. We did not need to turn to see that zombies ensued. Lots of them. Thankfully, slow runners. About the only break we’ve had so far.

I grabbed the knob and twisted. The door opened. Second break. We entered the postage-stamp sized office and closed the door, and squatted down. The room was mostly windows. If the things didn’t see us enter, they didn’t need to know where we were. From the floor, I scanned the room. A radio charging base was on the counter. Three of the five radios were missing. Two were left, and hopefully, were fully charged.

“Flashlight,” Allison said.

I followed her line of sight. It was long, looked solid, like it might be filled with six D batteries. It could serve two purposes. Light, and as a weapon.

Staying low, I tugged on cabinet drawers. They were all locked. I didn’t see guns anywhere. Which made sense. Now. The guards probably had to supply their own weapons. The mall wasn’t going to stockpile an armory. I shook my head, discouraged.

“Help me find keys.”

“What kind?”

“Keys. Any kind,” I said. “You take the flashlight.”

She carefully reached up and took it off the counter. “It’s heavy.”

“You can use it to bash a zombie’s skull, okay?”

She nodded. “The radios?”

“We’re taking those, too. But right now, keys.”

Checking anywhere that wasn’t locked inside a drawer, we came up empty. No keys. That was a strike. I really wanted a vehicle. I had to kneel to reach the radio charger. As I removed the two radios, I chanced a look at the windows and almost vomited.

They’d been quiet. Maybe just watching us. Like they were at a zoo, and we were animals in a display. At least ten zombies, hands and faces pressed against the glass. Bile and blood and filth scummed up the windows.

“Okay,” I said, sitting on the floor next to Allison, our backs pressed against the door. “We’re kinda screwed.”

“Why? What?” She said. “They’re all out there, aren’t they?”

I nodded.

“A lot?”

“A lot.”

Allison turned on one of the radios. It squawked. Chirped. Then static hissed through the tiny speaker. She depressed the button on the side. “Hello, anyone? Hello?”

When she released the button, more static. She spun the top knob, switching channels and repeated her greeting.

“Maybe they’re short wave. Reach out only a mile or so?” I said.

“What do we do, I mean, how are we going to get out of this room. It feels like a coffin now.”

It did feel like a coffin. I felt claustrophobic. Tried to control my breathing. Unless these things got bored, we were literally trapped. Stuck in place. Making a run for it would never work. There were too many. And they held the advantage being on the opposite side of the door.

A loud bang sound. Not like a gunshot, but as if something crashed, fell over. I snuck a peak, kneeling. “Well, that got their attention,” I said, sliding back beside Allison.

“What’s that mean?”

“The things, they all looked to see what the commotion was, too. Some even wandered toward the sound.”

Alley smiled. “They did?”

“Don’t get all happy. A few left. The rest–they’re still right outside this office.”

“Nah. I got an idea. Watch this.” Allison crawled toward the counter, reached up and came back with a microphone on a stand. She held down the button on the base, and started shouting. Her voice echoed throughout speakers hung in the mall. “Anything?”

I looked at the window. “You’ve got their attention. Thing is, there’s a speaker right outside here. Think there’s a way to isolate what part of the mall gets the transmission?”

“The switchboard?”

I went to where she had retrieved the microphone. The small switchboard had levers that were labeled. There were stores, and sections–north, south, west, and east. This might work, I realized. J.C. Penny was the biggest store, opposite the food court. I toggled the switch, and nodded at Allison.

When she yelled, it was too loud. The creatures outside the security office banged on the glass, and walls. “A little softer,” I said. The things weren’t going to investigate noise far away, when she made enough noise to hold their interest right here.

Allison turned her back, hovered over the microphone, and tried again. It was perfect. While I heard her voice out in the mall, I barely heard her, and I sat right next to her. I looked at the switchboard, and found the volume knob. I turned it up. “Keep going,” I said.

I turned to look at our visitors. Most were gone. Not all. But most. I tried not to make any eye contact. I felt like that might engage them. I don’t know if that mattered, or if they just smelled our life. I wanted to do as little as possible to have them attracted to us. Right now, avoiding eye contact was about all I could think to stop.

“They leaving?” Allison said.

“Yeah. Don’t stop.” I closed my eyes. Kept them shut and didn’t move at all. I tried to control my breathing, taking slow shallow breaths. Inside my head, I counted to sixty. When I opened my eyes, they were gone. The remaining few zombies had left. “I think we’re clear. Don’t stop. Not yet.”

I chanced a look. The last of the zombies left the area, entering the food court, a compound fracture at the ankle left the foot dragging behind with each pull of its leg.

We had the two radios, the flashlight, my hockey stick, but no keys. No guns. It was not what I had hoped for, but it was what it was. We’d have to make the best of it. Staying inside the security office was the worst thing we could do. The mall was clearly not a safe haven. Running outside the emergency exits might not prove any better, or safer. And yet, that was our only choice. Making a run for it.

“We’re going to do this. As soon as you stop transmitting, we’re going to bolt for the exit and just keep running. Okay?”

She nodded, but never stopped talking into the microphone.

I gave her a three count. I knew she liked them, and then she stood. I stood, and pulled open the office door. I tried to be quiet about it. We didn’t seem to gain any attention. We rounded the office. The emergency exit was a mere twenty feet away. Just had to run past the restrooms.

I ran, hit the bar across the door and pushed it open. Lights flashed. Sirens blared, and above it all, I heard Allison scream.