Savannah's Only Zombie (Book 2): A New Darkness (14 page)

CJ sat on top of the house and watched the
driveway for any sign of his uncle. He knew the trip might take the whole day
or maybe more, but he wanted to know exactly when they got back. He wanted to
see them pull back in. He wanted them all here, in one place.

The day at the cabin had passed by slowly with
no excitement whatsoever. His grandparents and aunt were taking naps, and his
parents had gone off for a walk in the woods. Judging by his Dad’s giddiness,
CJ assumed that they were going to do more than “walk.”

He couldn’t help but smile.

His mother had come a long way since they first
arrived here at the cabin. She no longer sulked around and kept to herself, but
helped out with chores around the house. She began smiling again. The day
before, she pulled CJ aside and apologized for “not being a good mom lately.”
He gave her a big hug and she cried for a little bit.

Earlier, she had come into the living room and
suggested to CJ’s dad that the two of them should go for a walk. At first, he
resisted, but when his father realized she didn’t really want to “walk,” he
quickly changed his mind.

Things feel normal again,
He thought.

He was starting to think that they never would,
but over the past few days, things began to look brighter. With his cousin on
the way, everyone on a whole seemed to be working on making that happen. With
this last trip, the family should be ready for a baby.

A baby,
he thought.
How crazy…

Two figures appeared on the edge of the driveway
near the woods.

Where’s the truck? Oh no…

He quickly raised the scope on his rifle.

It wasn’t them.

It was a man and a woman CJ had never seen
before. They were dressed in ratty-looking clothes and walked with an uneven
stride, but CJ could tell, even from a distance, that the couple was not dead.
The man was dressed in a long, dark coat and jeans worn around the knees. The
woman wore a dress and an oversized dress coat hung against her tiny frame. In
the man’s hand was a white piece of cloth, or t-shirt, and as they walked
closer to the house, he began to wave it in the air.

CJ kept the rifle trained on the man.

“Heyyy there, little feller,” the man said. “We
don’t mean no harm! See?”

The man waved the white fabric in the air
vigorously and smiled.

CJ left the rifle pointed at the man, but lifted
his eye from behind the scope.

“You both are trespassing on our property. I
suggest you leave,” CJ said, his voice stern.

The man’s grin wavered for a split second, but
the smirk just as quickly returned.

“Now look at this, Virginia. Little man here is
protectin’ the homestead.”

CJ did not appreciate the tone in the man’s
voice.

“Look boy,” the man said. “We’re just lookin’
for a lil’ food. That’s all. We’re about a day’s journey from where we’re
headed and well, we need a lil’ sumthin-sumthin for the road.”

The man paused.

“Now do the Christian thing and see if you can
spare some grub.”

CJ eyed the man suspiciously. Something didn’t
seem right here. The man continued to beam, but his eyes gave off a different
message. They had flared with a silent fury when CJ told them to leave. He had
to go get someone, but he didn’t want to leave the two unattended.

“Seriously son, you can drop the gun. We ain’t
here to hurt ya,” the man said.

CJ did not move.

“I’ll see if we can spare some food, and then
you two are gone,” he said.

“Alright! Thataboy! I knew this kid was okay,
Virginia!”

The woman mumbled something out of CJ’s hearing
range. He lowered the gun.

“Don’t move. You move; you leave without food.”

The man stood up as straight as his crooked back
would allow him and held up two fingers.

“Scout’s honor, kid.”

CJ nodded and slung the rifle over his shoulder.

I’ll just give them some food and they’ll leave,
he
thought as he climbed back inside the house.

He made his way downstairs quietly. He’ll just
deal with this and it will be done. His uncle had left him in charge; he could
handle it. He went into the kitchen and began to gather up some food, most
perishables close to their due dates. The last of the food brought with them.
They had been acquiring more from some of the trips to local towns. Between
that and the garden outside, they had plenty. But CJ had no intent of giving
these people too much. They would just have to be fine with near-stale
Pop-Tarts and small bags of chips.

“Hungry, Bubba?”

CJ spun around to see his Aunt Laura standing
behind him. She leaned against one of the dining table chairs with one hand;
the other was on her belly. Her smile was warm and happy. She noticed the
concern on her nephew’s face.

“What’s wrong, Bubba?” She asked, her smile
disappearing.

He fell into a stuttering rant about what was
happening outside. She always had a way of making him spill. He explained about
the man and woman, about how they wanted food and nothing else, he explained
about his Uncle Josh leaving him in “charge,” and lastly how he was going to
just deal with it without bothering anyone.

“CJ…” Was all she said at first.

His eyes flicked towards the front windows.

“Well, let’s take them the food and then they’ll
leave,” she said, her smile returning, but not in full effect.

He nodded and grabbed the food from the kitchen
counter.

They both walked back outside to the front
porch. The two strangers exchanged glances when they saw his aunt. The woman
could not take her eyes off his aunt’s stomach.

“Why hello, Miss,” the man said. “Name’s Dennis
and this here is Virginia. I’m sure the boy told you we were just passing
through and needed some food for the journey?”

“Yes,” Laura said. “He mentioned you needed
food.”

She nodded to CJ and he took the food down the
stairs. He handed it to the man, who took it and looked at it with contempt.

“Erm… I believe the boy misunderstood me. I
said, we had a
day’s
journey. Could you maybe spare a little more? Just
to see us through?”

“I think it’s enough,” CJ said.

“Excuse me, I was talking to your…” Dennis
interrupted.

“Aunt,” Laura said. “I’m sorry, Dennis. That’s
all we can spare.”

He eyed her with the same angry eyes he had
before. His smile was that of a used-car salesman, his eyes that of a man
filled with hate. He stretched his neck, left to right, the joints cracking.

“I don’t want to do this, Dennis,” Virginia
mumbled.

“Shut up, Virginia,” he hissed under his breath.

CJ walked back up the steps and stood next to
his aunt. He hand rested on the butt of the rifle still slung over his
shoulder.

“Well, would it be too much to ask for some drink
then? I’d hate to inconvenience you folks anymore,” he said.

“There’s a water pump over there,” Laura said,
pointing towards the shed.

Dennis looked over at the shed and then back at
Laura. He patted himself down and held his hands up.

“Looks like I don’t seem to have anything on me
to put it in…”

The four of them stared each other down. Dennis
finally broke and chuckled.

“Y’all folks sure can be difficult. Can we have
something to put the water in? Please?”

Laura turned to CJ.

“Go get them a plastic jug, CJ.”

He nodded and went to walk inside.

“CJ…”

He turned to look at his Aunt.

Get G-Dad,
she mouthed.

He nodded again and went in to get his
grandparents.

***

“This is a nice place you got here, Miss.”

Laura looked at Dennis with thinly veiled
disgust. His smile was sickening.

“Thank you. Where is it, that you two are
headed?” She asked.

Dennis’s eyes lit up.

“Ah, we are headed to Beulah Land!”

“Beulah Land?” Laura questioned.

“Yes! Have you heard of it? It is a place of
rest and refuge not too far from here! By the end of the day, me and Virginia
here will be restin’ in good ole’ Beulah Land!”

Laura nodded.

“You don’t believe me?” he asked, his eyes
looking hurt.

“I’m sorry. I just haven’t heard of it,” she
said.

“Oh, well, y’all are good Christian folk, I’m
sure y’all will fit in well there. Now, how many of you are there?”

She didn’t answer. This bothered Dennis.

“Now ma’am, here I am, trying to be a good
Christian man and tell you about Beulah Land, and you don’t want to tell me the
truth about how many souls you got here?” He said, his southern accent heavier
in this part of speech.

“I’m sorry, Dennis, but I believe it’s time for
you to leave now,” she said.

His eyes flashed red again. His smile widening.

“Dennis, I don’t want to do this,” Virginia said
again.

“Virginia…”

“She has a baby,” Virginia whined.

“But Virginia, we’re so close to Beulah Land, I
can taste it.”

He placed his hand inside his jacket and felt
the cold metal grip of his pistol.

Jeremy
could not believe his eyes. Two living, breathing officers of the law. Since
the day he left his house, he had yet to see one police officer or any other
type of authority figure. And now, here were two right in front of him,
fighting off waves of the undead.

They
were backed up against the car, one popping off rounds with his pistol, while
the other sprayed bullets from a military-style submachine gun. A third man,
not dressed in a blue uniform like the others, stood on the roof of the car,
swinging a sharpened shovel at the zombies behind them. The previously blocked
front entrance was now somewhat open, the cruiser having burst through the
blockade of wreckage.

Jeremy
was not alone in his confusion. He looked to the others and they all had the same
looks on their faces.

The
police officer with the submachine gun stopped firing and looked at the four of
them.

“You
dickheads just gonna stand there, or you gonna help us?”

He was
right. Zombies were collecting both behind the cops and now coming from the
halls of the hospital as well. The noise from the wreck was drawing in undead
from all over. Jeremy decided his questions would have to wait.

“Tori!
Watch our backs and us three will help clear the way!” He yelled, pulling the
hunting rifle from his back.

Her
response was turning on her heels and dropping to one knee. She leveled the
AR-15, and began taking down the zombies behind them.

Thata
girl,
he thought.

He
turned his attention back in front of him. The rifle was heavy in his hands,
but he had grown accustomed to it after practicing back near the cabin. Josh
was very adamant about everyone participating in target practice. And by
everyone, he meant everyone. Jeremy had to admit it was pretty funny to see an
eight months pregnant woman fire a revolver. Laura wasn’t a bad shot either.

Jeremy
put the closest z’s head in between the iron sights. His rifle did not have a
scope, but he liked it that way. He always had a hard time adjusting looking
back and forth down the scope. It was just easier with the built-in sights.

The
first head shattered like a melon at a David Gallagher show.

It was
answered by the boom of Lexx’s shotgun. Jeremy saw a zombie’s chest explode in
a shower of red out of the corner of his eye. The body flew backwards several
feet and hit the ground with a thunk. Jeremy planted a bullet between its eyes
for the final blow.

Lexx
gave Jeremy a nod and fired his gun again, this time his aim more accurate. A
splash of crimson and black sprang from the fountain of a z’s neck.

“Hey
dudes! I need help!” The man on top of the car yelled.

He was
swinging his shovel wildly at the crowd of undead behind the car. The shovel
connected with an arm and sent a hand flying.

“Dammit,
José! Get your shit together!”

The cop
with the machine gun yelled. He spun around and volleyed bullets into the crowd
of dead. The tall, white man shot more like an actor in an action movie, as
opposed to a trained police officer. Without really aiming, he rattled off
shots until his clip ran dry. His training was evident in his switching
magazines.

A lone
zombie, an old man in a hospital gown, reached out to grab the officer, who,
lost in his own movie role, was oblivious to the imminent threat. Jeremy put
the old zombies head between his sights and pulled the trigger.

The
shower of brain residue splashed onto the cop, who turned in disgust, but
shrugged it off, and went back to shooting.

Jeremy
and the others popped off a few more rounds each, bringing down the last
remaining zombies in the building’s foyer. Jeremy ran over to the cop car and
kneeled down next to the other officer.

The man
was younger than his counterpart was and different when it came to shades of
skin. His nametag read, “Officer White.”

“Hey,”
Jeremy said. “Do we have an opening to get out? We have a truck outside. If we
can get to it, we can get away from this mess.”

The cop
looked over his shoulder behind him.

“Maybe.
Where’s the truck?”

“If we
can make a break through the gift shop, the truck is right out there.”

The cop
nodded and turned to his tell his partner. The man looked at Jeremy, then back
at his partner. He blind-fired a few shots into the mob and then jumped from
the top of the car.

“C’mon
José!” He yelled.

The
third man jumped off the car and ran over to the group.

They
all ran through the gift store and out the hole in the wall. They lifted the
cart into the bed of the truck, not wasting time with the lift gate. Everyone
piled in after it, while Jeremy and Josh ran around to the cab.

Josh
wasted no time putting the keys in the ignition and getting the engine running.
He paused to look back at the hospital.

“We’ll
come back to get the rest in a few days man,” Jeremy said, placing his hand on
Josh’s shoulder. “We have to get out of here.”

Josh
nodded and stomped on the gas.

***

Once
they were a good distance away from the hospital, Josh pulled the truck over in
a pawnshop’s parking lot.

“What
are you doing?” Jeremy asked.

“Time
to find out where these cops came from,” Josh replied before stepping out of
the truck.

Jeremy
checked out the area first before opening the door. It appeared to be free of
any dead. While he was just as curious to where the police officers had been,
he also really wanted to get away from the city. He let out a sigh and got out
of the truck.

“So,
who are you people? And what did you steal from the hospital?” The loud-mouthed
cop asked.

“Steal?”
Lexx said, standing up in the truck bed. “Did you see that place?”

The cop
stood up, staring down Lexx as he did.

“Yeah.
This stuff ain’t yours, is it? Any of you doctors?”

“What
does it matter if we are or not?” Tori said, standing as well.

“Everybody
just calm down,” the black cop said.

Everyone
began to talk at once. Jeremy tried to make out what everyone was talking
about, but everyone seemed to be occupied with their own questions.

“HEY!”
He yelled.

Everyone’s
eyes fell on him.

“We all
have questions, but we aren’t going to get anywhere talking all at once.”

They
all looked at each other suspiciously.

“My
name is Jeremy. These are my friends, Josh, Lexx, and Tori. Can we start with
your names?”

The two
cops shared glances.

“My
name is Michael White and this is my partner, Will Black-”

“Wait,”
Lexx interrupted. “Your names are Black and White? And you’re black and white?
But Black is white and White is black?!”

Officer
White looked down and took a deep breath. This obviously was not the first time
he had this conversation.

“Yes.
Our chief thought it would be amusing to pair the two of us together because of
that reason. Now we know each other’s names, what were you people doing at the
hospital?”

Josh
stepped towards the truck.

“My
wife is pregnant. We were just trying to acquire some supplies to help with the
birth.”

White
nodded his head and gave a shrug to Officer Black.

“How
far along is she?” He asked.

“Eight
months. Roughly.”

White
raised an eyebrow.

“Eight
months? So, she’s pretty much ready to pop then?”

“Yep,”
Josh said.

Jeremy
smiled at Josh, who seemed worried. He knew that Josh was worried about the
rest of the supplies. They still needed the oxygen and the resuscitation
equipment. They would have to try again in a few days. Let the zombies wander
off.

“So,
where are you people staying?” Black said, leaning against the iron gates of
the truck.

“My
family owns a cabin not far from here. We been there since the beginning of the
outbreak. It’s fortified and secluded.”

Lexx
stood up.

“I’m
sorry- No, I’m not, but where the hell are all the damn cops? Or any government
for that matter?”

The two
officers looked at each other, both looking unsure how to answer.

“We,”
White started. “We don’t know. Everything happened so fast the day the dead
came back to life. We were out on call, arresting José here for dealing pot to
the college kids.”

José
shrugged.

“We
started getting calls about human attacks. People attacking other people. After
answering several of those calls, only to find gruesome crime scenes, we
radioed back to the station. There was no answer. We went straight back and
everyone was gone. We haven’t seen any of our friends since that day.”

“Yeah,
the whole Statesboro PD, just up and fucking vanished,” Black added.

White
shook his head, thinking over the events of the past month.

“We’ve
been holed up in the station, waiting, just in case someone came back. No one
has. It’s just been us and José.”

José
smiled. His teeth were crooked and in need of a good brushing.

Several
beats of silence passed. No one knew how to respond to that. It had always
bothered everyone, whether outright, or just in the back of their minds: Why
were there no police anywhere? Where was the government? No police, no Army or
Marines, no nothing. It was like the United States of America just up and left.
It just did not make sense.

“Help
me out here, but you two have no idea where anyone went? Did you not get the
memo or something? ‘Hey, we’re going to disappear today. Ssh, don’t tell the
civilians!’” Lexx said.

“I
don’t know what else to tell you,” White said.

Lexx
threw his hands up in the air. Tori placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to
calm him down.

“Do
y’all have any supplies at the police station?” Josh asked.

“We
have the armory, but we’re low on food. That was part of the reason we were out
and about today. We’ve been hitting places around town, trying to find
non-perishable items. We saw your truck at the hospital and noticed it was out
of place. While in the parking lot, we, um, lost control of the vehicle and ran
straight into the building.”

“Yeah,
lost control,” Black said, looking at José, who seemed embarrassed.

White
shook his head at his partner and turned his attention back towards Josh.

“Is
there room for three more at your place? We’ll be willing to add our stockpile
of weapons in exchange for food and a safe place to sleep.”

“Uh…”
Josh said, his eyes falling on José.

Picking
up on what Josh was getting at, White chuckled.

“Don’t
worry about him. He’s harmless. He’s not even that good of a drug dealer.”

“Hey…”
José started.

“Calm
down Scarface,” Black said.

José
didn’t argue. Josh thought it over for a moment. The only cons he could come up
with were there would be more mouths to feed, but there would be more people to
work, so it seemed to even out. Once, the baby was born, maybe he wouldn’t have
to go out as much. They were somewhat local, so perhaps they knew the area.

“Okay.
You can come with us. We’ll have to return to the hospital to finish our supply
run. We’ll retrieve your weapons then. Any objections from y’all?”

Josh
turned his gaze towards Jeremy, Lexx, and Tori. They all shook their heads.

“Your
house, your rules man,” Lexx said.

Josh
nodded.

“Okay then.
Let’s get going if we want to be home by dark. The light is leaving fast.”