The Dead Hunger Series: Books 1 through 5 (122 page)

“Stalled,” said Louis.  He sounded defeated.

“Where’s Bunsen?” cried Trina, obviously seeing Slider in the front seat.

She’s in the stalled car behind us,
thought Gem, throwing the car into reverse again.

“I’m trying to start it!” shouted Louis through the radio.  “I’m pumping the gas.  It says I have plenty!”

“You probably flooded it,” said Charlie.  “Press the pedal to the floor.  Just hold it and turn the key.”

Gem jerked the car backward, slamming into the rotting bodies between her and the GTO, knocking them down and rolling over them.  Forward, backward.  Forward, backward.  Finally she’d crushed enough that she was against the Pontiac’s front end again. 

“It started!” shouted Mason, obviously having taken the radio from Louis. 

“Punch it and stay with us!” Charlie screamed into the radio. 

Gem hit the gas again, rolling over the dead zombies she’d killed moments earlier, but her car was having difficulty gaining traction over the many squirming, living dead speed bumps that littered the roadway.

“Charlie, where are you?  We’re on Pine Street, but there is such an enormous cluster of infecteds we can’t see you!”

It was Hemp. 

“Baby, we’re heading south on the kids’ street.  Where are you?”

“Right in front of the kids’ house.  You are in the Crown Vic, right?” he said, his voice more calm than Gem would have expected it to be.

“Facing south?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Make sure the windows are rolled up.”

“They are … why?”

Suddenly, the distant sound of machine gun fire met their ears, and bodies in the crowd in front before them started dropping from sight, beginning at the far end of the crowd of zombies.

Sharp taps hit the windshield of the Crown Vic, and Gem realized bullets were slamming into the Ford.

Bullets from the AK-47 on top of Flex’s truck.  Flex knew they wouldn’t penetrate the body or the glass of the Ford.

“They’re firing on them,” said Gem.  “Fuckin’ A.  Charlie, start taking out as many on the sides as you can.”

“Gotcha.  Girls, cover your ears and duck.”

Taylor and Trina did, and so did Eddie and Emma.  Charlie spun the roof-mounted AK-47 to the east, fanned the spray of bullets from south to north, then did the same on the west side of the car.  The nearest creatures’ heads exploded, the spatter covering the side windows, preventing the more distant kills from being seen by the vehicle’s occupants.

They’ve seen enough anyway
, thought Gem.  No need for more visual evidence that their foe could be  destroyed.  The fact was their foes were growing more massive in number, and this was evidence that they were indeed getting smarter.

“We’ve got to move,” said Louis.  “They’re all over us!”

Charlie turned around.  “Shit, Gem.  I can’t even see the car!”

“Jesus,” said Gem.  “We can’t do shit for them.  Nothing.”

The radio on the seat came to life again.  “Hey, dudes!  Where are you guys?”

Gem tried to hear it over the pounding gun.  Charlie had ejected another magazine and was currently working her way through the fourth. 

Gem grabbed the radio as she again gunned the engine backward.  “Who is this?” Gem asked.

“It’s Nelson, chick! Where are you?”

Chick
, thought Gem.  It sure was Nelson.

“We’re on Pine street … and we’re in trouble, so if there’s –”

“Hell yes there’s something I can do!  I’m driving a bigger truck than I’ve ever driven, and I’m sure it’s blowing out more carbon monoxide than a wood chipper, but from what I understand, what’s in it might help you!”

Gem heard Charlie’s gun fall silent again.

“Here, Charlie.  Take this and tell him where we are before you reload.”

Charlie took the radio.  “Nelson, do you know where Pine Street is, just off School?”

“Hell yes I do!  My Uncle lives here, remember?  I’ll be there in no time, but I’m runnin’ over rats like crazy.”

“Nelson, why are you coming?”

“Charlie!” shouted Gem.  “I need you to reload that gun!”

“Gotta go, Nelson,” said Charlie.  “If you’re coming, then come now and stay back if you can’t help.”

Gem had managed to crush the zombies behind her car between the Crown Vic and the GTO’s front end.  When she felt metal meet metal, she pulled forward again, but each time, Louis could not manage to move the car behind her forward.  Gem now had clear vision – thanks to Flex and Hemp in the truck doing some steady shooting for a sustained period – but it wasn’t helping Louis and his passengers.

“Is Bunsen in the other car?” asked Trina, shouting over the gun.

“Yes, baby, she is.  She’s fine.  Just fine,” Gem lied.

Bright lights rounded the corner, and a vehicle traveling at least thirty miles per hour rumbled toward them.

“Is that fucking Nelson?” asked Charlie.

“In the goddamned street sweeper?” asked Gem.

“Who is Nelson?” asked Eddie.

“He might be our savior,” said Gem.  She grabbed the radio.

“Nelson, is that you there?”

“Heck yes it is,” he said, excitedly.  “Where do you need me?”

Gem looked at Charlie.  “Who woulda thought?”

“Not me,” said Charlie, smiling for the first time since they hit the horde. 

Gem hit the button.  “Bring that thing straight through with speed, and come right next to Flex’s truck, my car and the GTO behind us.  Spray the shit out of every zombie you get near.  Douse ‘em, Nelson.  Soak the fuckers.”

“Got it,” he said, and he came, the water jets at full power.

The first run around knocked down more than half of the rotters.  The truck had huge tires and they were more successful running over the prone bodies, and as he passed the GTO, Nelson spun the wheel to the left and went after the creatures attacking from the west side of the vehicles.

They did not all go down, which was what had begun to disturb everyone familiar with the effects of urushiol, but most did.  In the end, the remaining creatures were mostly female.

“I’m not going to be able to move this car,” said Louis, over the radio.  “How are we getting out of here?”

“Flex, if you’re listening,” said Gem, “Pull the truck over beside the car behind me.  You’re going to have to put Louis, Mason, Ian and Bunsen in the truck with you guys.  We’re full.”

“Got it,” said Flex, and the truck started pushing forward, its own cow catcher sweeping bodies into banks on each side.  He cut wide when he came beside the Ford, so as not to push bodies beneath it.

It was slow going, but he managed. 

“What now?”  It was Mason.

“You’re going to have to get out and jump in the back of Flex’s truck,” said Charlie.  “Lift the cover and hop in.”

“But … the bodies.”

“We need to get the hell out of here before more show up, so hurry.  Just go.  You’ll be there in seconds.”

Eddie and Emma couldn’t seem to help themselves.  They turned and watched through the rear window.  Slider had settled and now lay in the front seat beside Charlie and Gem, seeming exhausted.

The doors closest to Flex’s truck opened, and Bunsen was the first out.  The rear door of the truck opened and she easily jumped in.

“In the back, guys.  Hurry,” said Hemp over the radio.

All in a row, the three young men clamored over the piles of melting muck and zombies, scrambling over the side rail of Flex’s truck.  Once in, Gem heard one of them slap the back of the cab twice, and Flex took off.

“Jesus, what the hell
is
this thing?”  It was Ian’s voice, and he sounded horrified.

“Leave it alone,” said Hemp.  “Sorry.  Forgot to say something.  It’s a head.”

The vehicles pushed forward with Nelson and his street sweeper in the lead.

Gem wondered how she would ever thank him.  Then she remembered she still had some of the weed from the Tallahassee evidence locker.

She wouldn’t be needing it for a while anyway.

As the vehicles made their way clear of the massive zombie kill, Emma spoke.

“What about Jimmy and Nikki?”

Charlie reached back and took Emma by the hand.

She said nothing.

There was nothing that could be said.

*****

Chapter Thirteen

Hemp rode in silence as they pulled up to the bar where the three sisters, if only briefly, held fun karaoke nights with plenty of singers and a way to forget what the world had become.

But Hemp knew that those days, at least in Concord, and at least for now, were over.  He felt responsible.

Of course it was ridiculous.  He was only one man, and while his discoveries had made the battles they faced – such as the one they had just barely won – less one-sided than before, there were plenty of reminders that they were severely outnumbered.

He left his gun for the moment, instead opening the back door and helping Kev out.  Flex came up beside him and the men helped him inside, where Doc Scofield saw him right away and rushed over.

“We have some cots set up over here,” he said.  “We’ve got two left.  Lots of folks got hurt out there tonight.”

“Any bites?  Scratches from … them?” asked Flex.

“No,” said Doc.  “Three of them were injured in a crash.  Drove their car over the road trying to avoid a street filled with rotters.”

“They were out in force tonight,” said Flex, easing Kev down on a cot.  “How you doin’, buddy?”

“I feel okay,” he said.  “Hanging in there.”

“Good.  Doc, I want you to soak his wound in pure urushiol.  Have somebody run and get it.  I have to talk to you.”

“You don’t have to leave,” said Kev.  “I know the risk and what might happen.”

Flex sighed.  “Yeah, I guess you do.  Sorry, Kev.”

“Kimberly,” called the doctor.

The blonde woman hurried over.  “What can I do, Doc?”

“Please get the gallon bottle of urushiol oil from the back.  Bring some alcohol, soap and water and clean towels, too, would you?”

She touched Kev on the arm.  “Are you okay, Kev?”

He nodded.  “I am … for now.”

“Good.  I’ll be right back to get you cleaned up.”

Hemp nodded at the doctor and saw the three kids who had been riding in the back of the truck.  They approached him, looking exhausted.

“It was gross riding in there with that thing,” said Mason.  “I touched it before I realized what it was.”

“I’m very sorry about that,” said Hemp.  “It’s important to my research, though, and there was nowhere else to put you.  Are you kids alright?”

“No worse for wear,” said Louis.  “Jimmy’s gonna be pissed about the car.”

“You can probably get it back,” said Gem, walking up hauling Trina in her arms.  “Zombies don’t drive.”

She turned to Hemp.  “They
don’t
drive yet, right?”

Hemp shook his head.  “I’ve got a last chore to do,” he said, and went to a box containing plastic grocery bags.  He put one inside another and went back outside.

Hemp immediately saw Bunsen in the back of the truck, her paws on the window, scratching.

“Woah, girl.  How did we forget you?”

He opened the back door and Bunsen jumped to the ground, immediately circling him for rubs.  Bunsen was fairly sensitive to the tension felt by the humans around her, but she did her best to ignore it when some soft strokes might be available. 

Who was Hemp kidding.  Even some pretty rough neck scratches were welcome.

Bunsen then spotted Slider running toward her, and she reared up on her hind legs to meet him.  It was his trick, and it was her defense.  Seconds later, it looked like two furry giants hugging.

Hemp smiled, despite everything.  He wished he didn’t know what was happening now and then.

Nelson was well behind the other vehicles, and pulled into the lot as Hemp let the dogs back inside.  As he was climbing out of the street sweeper, Hemp approached him.

“Hey, Hemp.”

“Thank you, Nelson.  You saved us.  Of that I’m dead certain.”

“I was playing with the radio, and I heard the crap going on,” he said.  “Good you guys were only a few blocks away.”

“How did you think of the street sweeper?”

“Vikki.  Or
Victoria.  Not sure.  Which one has the reddish hair?”

“Vikki.”

“Yeah.  Her.  She said it was full of anti-zombie juice or something like that.  You guys use them mostly to kill the rats.”

“Yes, the kind with a z on the end.”

“R-A-T-Z?”

“Yes.  Zombie rats.”

Nelson shook his head.  “Well, I was glad to help.  We all gotta pitch in.”

“Great first pitch, Nelson.  Glad to have you in
Concord.”

Nelson flipped his long, blonde dreadlocks onto his back and smiled.  “See you inside.”

Hemp walked to the truck and leaned over the bed rail to take a few strands of Corn Silk’s hair.  He pulled the head toward him, picked it up and worked it inside the bag.  Once secured, he tied the handles together and carried it into the bar where the rest of his friends waited.

The room smelled of food, and Hemp’s stomach began to rumble the moment it hit him.  The sisters had become the chow line organizers, and regularly created some pretty good meals with canned and vacuum packed meats and vegetables.  Today smelled amazingly like beef stew.

Hemp’s eyes moved toward the small kitchen, and he saw Kimberly, her blonde hair tied up on her head, and an apron covering her front.  She had wire-rimmed glasses on, and when she turned to smile at him, they had steamed up from the hot pot of soup in front of her. 

“There’s plenty, Hemp!  I think it might be one of our best yet.”

Hemp smiled back at her, trying to remain casual, as if the bag he held contained only a cantaloupe.  He searched the rest of the room for Flex, Gem and Charlie.  They were together in the southeast corner.  Trina had taken the last cot, and Taylor had fallen asleep in a banana lounge chair.

Hemp envied them. 

“Guys, can we talk?”

“Where the hell are Dave, Lisa and Serena?” asked Charlie.  “I thought they’d be here.”

“Jesus,” said Hemp.  “Are they still out there somewhere?”

“I’ve been on the radio.  No answer,” said Gem.

“We have to go after them,” said Charlie.  “Now.  Where were they going?”

“It’s on the board,” said Nelson.

They walked to the white board where the assignments and maps were posted. 

Charlie pointed to the map.  “So here?  Costco was their first stop?”

“Yeah,” said Flex.  “Judging from what we saw out there, it would have been a perfect haven for rotters.  Big.”

“We have to go now,” said Charlie, moving to the door.

“Stop right the fuck there,” said Hemp.

She did.  Charlie turned, her mouth open in amazement.  “Babe, did you just say
fuck
?”

Hemp ignored her sarcasm, which he knew was her way of avoiding the subject. 

“You’re not going anywhere, Charlie.  You have to start considering that you’re preparing to bring a new life into the world.”

The door behind them opened, and Dave and Serena came in.  Charlie quickly rose up on her tiptoes and kissed Hemp quickly on the cheek. 

“You win, boss,” she said, and winked.

She turned and ran to Dave, hugging him tight.  Hemp followed behind, shaking his head and smiling despite himself.

She released him and threw her arms around Serena.  After clinging to her for at least as long as she had embraced Dave, she stepped back.

“It’s good to see you,” said Hemp.  “Things have really taken a turn for the worse out there.”

“Are you guys okay?” asked Charlie, still clearly brimming with excitement and relief.  “You look okay.  Where’s Lisa?”

Dave glanced briefly at Serena, whose eyes fell to the floor.  He looked again at Charlie, and his lip began to quiver; his eyes becoming moist.

As though his legs were made of jelly, Dave Gammon collapsed onto his knees and fell to the floor, crying.

Serena fell beside him and put her arm over his shoulder as his body became racked with sobs.

It was very clear that Lisa was not okay.

Everyone in the room gave the two time.  While Hemp did not know what they had just been through, he could imagine. 

Doc Scofield helped Dave up and Gem took Trina from the cot.  Dave lay there with a thin blanket over him, shivering as though he were lying in the snow, naked.

Hemp followed when Scofield went into the supply room.

“Doctor Scofield,” he said.

“I think you can call me Jim,” Scofield said.

Hemp nodded.  “I know.  Jim, I need to get into the new lab.  I know you’ve been working on things there, and I’m sure you’ve got it in good shape.”

“It is,” he said.  “You saw it when it was close to complete, but I’ve got a couple of new pieces of equipment in there now.”

“I should’ve been in here weeks ago, and judging from these new developments, I’m late.”

Scofield shook his head.  “Nobody could’ve predicted this,” he said.  “Hell, we thought we were good to go here in
Concord.”

“You didn’t count on so many visitors,” said Hemp.   He lowered his voice as Kimberly walked nearby.

“These creatures are different, Jim.  Not only has the vapor changed, but the intelligence, communication.  In particular, the pregnant females.”

“Pregnant?” asked Jim, incredulous.

“Not now, but when they became … what they are.  I suspect it’s something to do with their estrogen levels at the time.”

Jim’s brows came together and he scratched his beard.  “How so?  I know a little about estrogen.”

“I expect you would,” said Hemp.  “It’s the only thing I can come up with that makes them different.  I haven’t seen it in the very young girls or the post-menopausal-aged women.  Just those of birthing years.  Particularly the pregnant females.”

Scofield shook his head.  “Lab’s ready.  Know what tests you’re going to want to do?”

“I’ve got a head,” said Hemp.  “From one that was leading a group.  Controlling them, I believe.”

“You don’t say,” said Scofield.  “Do you know what happened to Lisa yet?”

It was Hemp’s turn to shake his head.  “No.  But she was exposed to the new vapor, and it affected her.  It’s part of the reason I need to speak to Dave as soon as possible.”

“He’s in no shape right now.  Maybe talk to the Spanish girl?”

“Serena,” said Hemp.

Scofield shrugged.  “I’m too damned old to remember all these names.  But it rings a bell.  Anyway, talk to her.”

Hemp looked over.  Flex and Gem sat beside one another in mismatched plastic chairs from the bar, and Trina lay draped over Flex.  He looked exhausted.

Serena sat on the edge of the cot, stroking Dave’s back.  Charlie stood beside them, and when she looked at Hemp, he waved her over.

Charlie touched Serena gently on the shoulder and walked quickly to where the doctor and he waited.

“Hi,” she said, slipping her arm around his waist.

“Hey, Charlie.  I need you to see if Serena can speak with us.  I don’t want to interrupt, but you seem to have an in.”

She smiled, and her exhaustion showed.  With a sigh, she said, “She loves Dave, and since he helped me get you back from Carville, I pretty much love him, too.  Yeah.  I’ll go relieve her.”

Charlie returned to the cot, leaned over and whispered into Serena’s ear.  Serena leaned down and kissed Dave’s cheek and stood.  She hugged Charlie, and walked over to Scofield and Hemp.

“Hi, Hemp.  Hi, Doc.”

“Serena, are you really okay?”

“I am.  Dave got us out of a mess.  We were very much trapped.”

“Let’s go into the storeroom,” said Scofield.  “There are some chairs in there, too.”

They walked in, closed the door behind them and sat.

“Serena,” said Hemp.  “I know it’s very fresh in your mind, but it’s important that I know what happened to Lisa.”

“Because she was exposed, right?  To the vapor?”

“Yes, precisely.”

Serena lost control of her facial muscles, and she couldn’t speak for a few moments.  She swiped at the flowing tears, and Scofield pulled out a handkerchief and gave it to her.

Serena dabbed at her eyes while the men waited.

“Thank you,” she said in a tiny voice unlike the woman Hemp had come to know.  “Lisa opened the door of the car, but it was more than that.”

“What?”  Hemp leaned forward.

“She said something,” said Serena.  “Before she opened the door, she said
open the door
.”

“She actually said those words?  Open the door?”

Serena nodded.  “Yes.  Very softly, but I heard it.”

Hemp looked at Scofield.  “That’s what happened in the lab.  She said
comfort Ann
before she bent over and embraced the infected on my table.”