Dahmer Flu (7 page)

We heard them before we saw them. A chorus of moans rose from barely perceptible to piercing as the creatures converged on the home. Through the crack in the boards, I could see a head appear over the corpse wall; followed by another, then another; soon there were too many to count, visible from every opening. We were surrounded, and their numbers were growing.

I turned to Aimee, Madi and Jake, who sat huddled against the wall. Madi was crying softly, and Aimee whispered to her soothingly, “It’s going to be okay, honey, we’re going to be okay.” Jacob sat quietly, watching his mother speak in the dim light.

We all jumped, startled, when rancid fists began beating on the windows and doors; every moment, the sound grew in volume and ferocity. The walls themselves seemed to shake with the force of the blows and the desperation of the attackers, knocking dust from the exposed rafters overhead. Briefly, I had hope when I saw that the beams could be reached with little effort and coordination, which was beyond the capabilities of any of the creatures outside. It was fools hope, however, when I recalled how many bodies I had seen stuck in rafters or other lofts, the ghouls only having left when starvation took the life from their prey.

Jacob started to howl in fear from the noise, which only served to fuel the creature’s desire. Madi watched me with pleading eyes and Aimee wept quietly. We had come so far, but the situation, it appeared, was truly hopeless. I considered the gun, still in my pocket, just three precious rounds left. Enough for my daughter, my baby, my wife... My mind froze with the thought, first unable to consider the image, than unable to shake it.

Perhaps... one was meant for me instead.

Jacob’s cries reached a higher volume, as if he understood actual mortal fear. I moved to my family, seeing no escape from the home. Aimee and Madi stood as I approached and together we turned, resolute and together, facing the door as if ready for our fate. Already, the boards were starting to groan and crack; a nail, knocked loose, landed on the floor. We waited and watched, not sure what to do; not sure if there was anything
to
do any more.

More of the undead joined the effort as the thick boards began to crack and splinter. Over the chorus of moans, Aimee spoke, simply, “Goodbye”.

I looked at her with shocked eyes, her simple statement highlighting the finality of the situation- I rebelled against it. “Shut the hell up,” I growled, “we’re gonna find a way out of here.”

For a moment, Aimee was shocked at my outburst, then looked at me with soft, wise eyes. She took my hand, “I don’t think we are this time, honey; but it’s okay, we’re together. If we don’t make it… there’s never going to be a better time.”

“It’s not goodbye,” I insisted. The pounding continued- the boards were weakening.

“Okay,” she ostensibly consented, “But, Madi, there’s something I want you to have.” She handed Jake to me and I held him tightly as he wailed; I bounced him uselessly. Reaching back, she slipped the necklace from her neck and fastened it to Madi’s. “This was Nana’s. She gave it to me when I was a little girl. Now, I want you to have it.”

The delicate pendant hung low on Madi’s chest. She choked out a “Thank you,” before her tiny body wracked with silent sobs.

She stood and leaned close to me, whispering in my ear, “You and Madi could make it out.”

I understood what she was trying to say, with a puzzling mixture of hope and revulsion. She had said goodbye with a purpose. “What, out there with them? We’re safe in here. The house will hold until the fuckers outside leave; then we’ll leave, too.” I knew I was lying. She probably did, too. But I counted on the lie to buy me the time to think of something better.

My lie was betrayed by the jarring sound of wood splintering.

“You’re lying,” she whispered. She always knew. “They’ve heard the gunshot, and you know they hear Jake. They’re going to stay until they find him, or level the house trying. You know that. They don’t stop, not when they swarm like this. They. Will. Find. Us.” She emphasized every word.

She was right, I knew. When the undead reached a frenzy, like they had now, they’d press until they found what they were after. While traveling, we had seen too many homes leveled in the same way. Maybe it was smell; maybe some sort of sixth sense; maybe it was just the presence of the other creatures that had gotten there first, but once they had trapped prey, they’d stay until they consumed it. Even if the boards held, we didn’t have enough food or water to outlast their attention.

She continued with a hurried whisper, “I’m hurting. Even if we all somehow made it outside, I’m not going to be able to run for long. I’d slow you down, and you bet your ass they’d follow us. I can get as far away as possible, probably even make it somewhere safe. But you, Jake Madi will have time to get away- they’d forget about him if they could see me. We can meet up once it’s safe, once we’re all clear.”

“Forget it,” I dismissed, “I’m not letting you go out there. You’re staying here where it’s safe.” I was stalling, hoping for some miracle. My mind was racing through the possibilities- the roof would only last as long as the walls; there wasn’t a basement… I came up with nothing.

“For how long? There’s more coming- I’d bet my life on it. Look,” She said, louder now, crossing to the rear of the house- she had the eerie calm of someone that knew she was going to die, and was left only with the chance to choose ‘how’. Peering through the boards, I could see the tree line was thick with bodies as they unthinkingly closed on the home. The sound of a gunshot was a veritable dinner bell for the creatures, and each one within the range of the sound would be here soon. Worse, those that couldn’t hear the shot would be attracted by the migration of others. This, I was sure, was how the massive herds began.

“Just let me think!” I hollered over the clamor.

“Daddy!” Screeched Madi, backing away from the widow as a board fell roughly from its place and clattered to the floor. Their appetite renewed, the creatures shoved each other to reach eagerly inside the opening and try to fit inside. What was once a young woman, her face now nearly mutilated beyond recognition, left blacked blood on the remaining boards as she tried to force her head inside the space with her jaws snapping wildly.

I ran to the window, passing off Jake to Madi. Drawing the gun from my pocket, I focused all of my rage on her ragged form and forced the barrel hard into her forehead, feeling the steel sink into the softened flesh. She twisted her face, which was absent any fear, desperate to reach me as I pulled the trigger- her eyes snapped upwards as the life was forced from them; blood, brain and skull painted the creature behind her as she fell from the crack and onto the ground.

With adrenaline-fueled speed, I pocketed the weapon and recovered the board, pressing it into place against the merciless onslaught. Aimee appeared by my side, hammer in hand, and began pounding the nails into place. Tentatively, I relaxed my grip as filthy fingers groped through the cracks.

It held.

We paused, breathing heavy, her with a look that seemed to say, “see?”

We stood, none of us saying a word, but all of us with the same thoughts. Aimee and I scooped up the last of the nails- she seemed ready to support my peculiar and overwhelming desire to live, and stood ready to defend the home for as long as we could. We were ready to fight, and Madi shielded Jacob as she tried to calm him. When we lost…I wondered how long the pain would last; depends on where they started, I reasoned.

I jumped as another board, one that had been securing the front door, complained and broke loose under the weight of the pressing horde. Two of the nails had fallen, and the board swung wildly away. I rushed to the door, desperate for it to hold. Aimee pushed at the door, much as she had at our home, while I pounded fresh nails into the frame. We were running low on the nails.

Another crash- they were becoming more frequent as the creatures grew more insistent. This one, however, was accompanied by a scream- Madi, high pitched and frightened. Jacob’s own screams grew as well, nearly as loud as Madi’s. Aimee and I spun around; the world slowed and my heart tore in two. The boards covering the window that Madi and backed into had broken loose, and several rotted arms reached inside. One had reached Jacob by the leg and was trying to pull him towards the mouth of an undead old man, while others desperately reached for a piece of the tiny meal. Jacob, clearly, was in pain as Madi pulled with every bit of strength as though it were a living game of tug-of-war.

She screamed, “Help me!” as she pulled him by the arms. She was losing ground as they pulled her closer as well, due to her hold on her brother; while terrified, she didn’t let go.

In slow motion, Aimee and I ran towards out children, cursing inwardly that we had allowed this to happen. Before we could reach them, Jacob was bitten.

His scream was earth-shaking as we pulled him free, leaving meat and blood in the creature’s mouth. Another creature began biting at its mouth, trying to obtain the meat, but looking more like it was passionately kissing the other. I shot the one that bit my son, not able to care that I had used another precious round while Aimee grabbed her screaming child, unable to believe what had happened. “Shit, shit, shit,” she repeated with a mixture of impotent rage and bottomless fear. The reality was now unavoidable- even if we did escape, my son would be dead within a few hours.

Aimee had wrapped Jacob’s leg in her shirt, but it was already saturated with bright-red blood. She was crying, as was I, while I pulled at a curtain to form a bandage.

“Mommy!” I heard Madi scream behind me. I whirled around in mid-run to see Aimee already at the back door, her hand on the knob. I bolted past Madi, her cheek still glistening with a hasty kiss, but was too late to reach Aimee and Jacob before she slipped from the door, looking back only long enough to say, “I love you,” before it closed.

With a steeling breath I reached the door and tore it open, rushing out after her. The undead immediately noticed our exit, craning unnatural necks and changing direction in stride to follow. I clung urgently to the revolver, hasty math reminding me: one rounds left.

Despite her own injuries, Aimee weaved through the growing crowd like a professional athlete towards the writhing wall, with me in pursuit. At least, I noticed, the creatures on this side of the house were ignoring the doors and windows, giving Madi a moment’s respite. I only hoped those in the front were still intact.

Aimee dodged left- it should have been right. A creature lunged clumsily, catching her by the arm. The world stood still. He pulled her closer to his mouth as I steadied myself, barely taking the time to align the short sights.

Crack!

Its temple caved, seemingly at the same moment that the opposite side exploded outward in a fountain of blood and mass. Aimee and I caught eyes for a brief moment before she dashed, again, away from the home. 

“Daddy, they’re inside!” Madi’s voice carried through the night air and invaded my thoughts like an unwelcome guest. I skidded to a halt, nearly doubling over with the effort to stop my momentum. The realization destroyed a part of me- I had to choose. I looked to the house, where Madi stood sheltered in the doorway, all color lost from her face, but afraid to come outside and too afraid to stay in. I looked to Aimee and Jake, as they reached the wall, where she turned to me.

“Go help Madi!” Aimee called, the creatures closing on each of us.

I couldn’t leave Madi to die, alone and scared. I knew, too, that I wouldn’t catch Aimee without condemning Madi to a terrible death. I ran towards the house, the creatures beginning to blur as I hastily wiped the tears from my eyes. I looked back, briefly, as I ran, hoping that somehow they would reach safety.  Eventually Jacob would turn, but I hoped that she would make it to safety.

That hope died when she was bit, too.

She scrambled up the wall, almost at the top, when the unmoving creature on which she had perched moved slightly. Violently, it grasped her leg with a mortis grip and sank its corroded teeth into the soft skin of her calf, dark blood pooling around its mouth and contrasting with her light porcelain skin. She screamed. I screamed, too, unable to accept what I was seeing. With unthinkable effort, she tore her leg from the creature, leaving a chunk of meat behind. It consumed voraciously as she rolled and fell clumsily to the other side.

In shock, I ran into the house past Madi, barely perceiving Aimee’s visible upper body as she limped to the left, towards the front of the house. Madi slammed the door and fell into it, too heartbroken or too scared to cry.

In the living room, several boards were missing from a window, and one of the creatures had fallen through. It was a pitiful thing, its arms long since gone, and it struggled on the ground trying to stand while also trying to bite from where it lay. That pitiful creature suddenly became everything that I hated- I hated that we were here. I hated that they existed. I hated that Aimee was bit. I hated that Madi was all I had left. I brought my boot on the thing’s face, which distorted appallingly as the skull cracked under the blow. It didn’t stop moving right away, so again and again I stomped until the neck ended only in a soft mass of hair and fragments of skull.

Lost in the cathartic release, it was a moment before I noticed that the pounding had slowed, becoming less insistent and less intense. The creatures, I saw through the crack, had started to follow the sight and sound of a running, injured woman and a screaming child; she had already started to collect a following like some sort of gruesome pied piper, with more coming from around the side of the home to give chase. Those remaining at the house battered uselessly against the boards and the door, unable to do any real damage without the combined weight of the mass. She was right, as much as I hated to admit it- she had given us a chance.