Zombie Infestation Page 8

  The voice from behind the barricade said, “Who’s there?”

  Chapter 30

  From behind the barricade, the mysterious male voice shouted. “Are you the police?” Not knowing what to respond with, Ray looked over at Jacques. He just shrugged his shoulders.

  Ray said, “We are military. Is there anyone besides you back there?”

  The mysterious voice replied. “Nope, it’s just me. How many soldiers are with you?”

  As they jerked at the barricade and threw the parts aside, they ignored him. When the debris was clear, a man in a flannel shirt and a handlebar mustache jumped over it and greeted them.

  He said, “What took you guys so long?”

  Neither Ray, nor Jacques responded.

  “I suppose everyone except me is dead, right?”

  Jacques nodded. “Pretty much.”

  “On the first floor, there are some tunnels that go to the mansion, and also lead to right to the river. The original proprietor back in the 1800’s built this place on top of those because he used to brew beer down there.”

  Jacques looked surprised, but Ray didn’t. The stranger twisted one side of his stylish overgrown mustache.

  Then he said, “I was going to escape through it, but it was too dark. Do you guys have any flashlights?”

  The stranger squinted as he examined Ray’s face.

  Then he said, “Do I know you from somewhere?”

  Ray responded. “I doubt it.”

  Jacques ignored them and walked around scanning the room. Across the room, he knelt next to a mid-sized crate and began to inspect its contents. The stranger’s nasal voice was like an invader.

  “That is not your property.”

  Ray was visibly annoyed as he said, “We need to finish clearing this place out.”

  Ray shoved the stranger aside. “Watch out.”

  He then knocked a weak level 4 zombie to the ground and pummeled its head into the ground repeatedly until he heard its skull cracked.

  ”Either you help us clear out the rest of this place, or scram.”

  The stranger’s voice got even more whiny. “With what weapons? I can’t believe you would even ask me. That is your job. I’m an artisan.”

  Jacques shook his head with disgust.

  Then the stranger said, “Best of luck with that.”

  Without looking back, he sprinted out of the door behind them. Even from the adjacent room, they could hear the heels of his designer boots hitting the metal steps.

  Ray said, “It looks like they are planning on using the tunnels to escape to the river.”

  Jacques shrugged his shoulders. “I’m worried about Rose. Let’s do another pass, then get back over to the bank.”

  Ray nodded. “Sounds good.”

  Chapter 31

  Down the street at the bank, Winslow stared over the edge of the building. “She’s gone.” Using Rose’s night vision visor, Rice walked over and stared over the edge.

  Chin said, “There is no way she would survive a fall like that, or getting shot twice. She was as dead as a rock. I bet she turned into one of those things.”

  Rice replied, “We should have shot her in the head. No one deserves to be one of those things.”

  Chin’s expression revealed his disgust as Winslow put his hand on his shoulder.

  Winslow said, “You know that we still have some unsettled business.”

  Rice glared at him, “Not that shit again.”

  “Yes, that shit again,” responded Winslow.

  “Seriously man, I didn’t know you had a thing for her. She’s probably seen more guy’s dicks than a stadium urinal.”

  His comment only provoked Chin.

  “I should fuck you up right now.”

  Angry, Winslow drew his 9MM and pointed it at Chin’s face. “Try it,” he yelled.

  Perturbed by the commotion, Rice raised his voice. “You ladies need to put an end to this.”

  Winslow glared at Chin.

  Rice said, “Cool off and go check out the fortifications downstairs.” Winslow lowered his gun, and backed away.

  Chin clenched his fists as he walked away.

  “Fuck that guy.”

  Rice put his hand on Winslow’s shoulder.

  “We all saw the video. She was hot, and looked amazing riding his crayon dick, but we have work to do. If we don’t fuck this up, you two can go buy a dozen trailer parks full of slutty white trash girls.”

  Winslow turned away from him.

  Rice spoke louder. “I need both of you to be focused. No more of that shit until we are done with this mission. Is that clear?”

  Winslow’s expression was pure anger.

  “I will shoot the both of you if I have to,” said Rice.

  Winslow huffed, “Okay, okay. We can table it for later.”

  From the rooftop, they scanned the street, then the hilltop. The mass on the hill had yet to move, but a group of citizens walking towards the bank cut down a few random zombies. As they got closer, the belligerent group began to shout indistinguishable insults.

  Rice said, “There is only three of them.”

  When Winslow aimed his rifle at them, Chin reached up and pushed the barrel down.

  Defiant, he jerked the weapon back up.

  As the group got closer their insults were far more distinguishable. “You bastards are stealing our money when you should be saving us.”

  A man with a giant scruffy beard threw some trash up at the rooftop while he yelled. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

  His slurred articulation proved he was obviously drunk. Watching how sloppy they fought, gave the impression the others in his cadre might be as well. Chin used the night vision to inspect the features of each individual.

  The man with a scraggly beard with gray streaks in it yelled, “Power to the people man. We saw you carry out the bags, and we know what you did with those.”

  Drawn to the yelling, a small pack of zombies charged at the trio. Annoyed, Chin aimed Rose’s former sniper gun and then shot each citizen between the eyes.

  Chapter 32

  At the bank, Jacques banged on the door, again there was no response. The small band of nearby zombies who the belligerent citizens had attracted, charged at Jacques and Ray. Jacques inspected the area.

  Ray said, “I knew we shouldn’t have trusted them.”

  Jacques responded, “Let’s just smash all these meat bag’s skulls quick, then bust the door down.”

  Ray swung and hit an oncoming zombie in the nose, which stunned it. Then Jacques followed it up with a crushing blow, which split the zombie’s skull. His next gesture was to smash at the kneecaps of the nearest zombie. This effort didn’t stop them, and only made the creatures slower and easier for Ray to split their skulls, which he did with a renewed fury.

  Rice yelled, “Hurry the fuck up.”

  He motioned as he held the thick metal door open.

  When they got inside, he slammed the door and then secured it.“Help me assemble the barricade again.”

  Without hesitation, Ray and Jacques threw their bloody weapons down, then grabbed the two file cabinets and shoved those into the door frame. Next, they stuffed in other heavy objects to fortify the barricade. When they finished, they noticed Winslow aiming at them from the top of the stairs. Next to them, Chin stepped in and shoved his rifle barrel into Jacques cheek.

  “Back up.”

  Both Ray and Jacques held their hands up and backed into the vault. When they entered, the overhead light came one. Then Rice closed the massive circular door, and locked it.

  Ray looked down as Jacques said, “I didn’t see Rose.”

  Ray didn’t respond.

  Jacques asked, “What’s up?”

  Ray scanned the area.

  “What do you mean?”

  Jacques exhaled, then responded. “Can you bust us out of here?”

  Ray reflected as he
went over and examined the locking mechanism. Then he pointed to the small date etched into the back of the door.

  “This is from 1905, so it’s a 24 bolt door.”

  Next, he gestured to the two boxes to the right.

  “This is a four movement time lock, so those two are linked.”

  Jacques scratched his chin. “So, what does that mean?”

  Ray glanced at his watch as he responded. “I could probably use something to force open the crack between the vault door and the frame, but there is an easier solution.”

  Jacques shrugged, “And that is?”

  Ray pondered a moment before he responded. “We wait.” Jacques looked disappointed.

  “What about Rose?”

  Ray said, “Believe it or not, it is easier to break out of a vault than into it. So, the bank probably kept it open when the shit went down. This type of vault can only be opened during the bank’s business hours. I saw the operation hours posted above the door.”

  Then he pointed at his wrist watch.

  “Fortunately, we don’t have to wait long before I can crack it.”

  Jacques fiddled with the crusty blood caked on his black pants, then leaned against the wall.

  Jacques asked, “Won’t we choke in here?”

  Across from him, Ray sat down and cross his legs.

  “Impossible. There is enough oxygen in a coffin to last for 3 hours. The bank opens in an hour, and this vault is huge, so we will be fine.”

  Jacques exhaled, then asked, “What unit were you in that taught you how to crack safes, locks, and security systems?”

  Ray stared up at the ceiling.

  Jacques said, “You are the most quiet guy I have ever met, there has got to be a reason for it.”

  There was an awkward silence.

  Ray cleared his throat, then responded. “Due to a series of bad calls during combat, I was dishonorably discharged. After that, I couldn’t find a job and ended up homeless. To get off the streets, I became a burglar, which worked out great until I got arrested and sent to prison. If I hadn’t found Blackstone, I probably would have committed suicide.”

  Jacques didn’t know what to say, so he remained silent.

  Ray asked, “You don’t seem like the Blackstone type. What’s your story?”

  Jacques pressed his back to the wall, then locked eyes with him. “I think I figured you out.”

  Ray inquired. “What do you mean?”

  Jacques responded. “I think you knew about this robbery before we even got to New Middlesbrough.”

  Ray’s face buckled. “You are dead wrong.”

  Jacques replied. “Back on the rooftop, before any of them even spoke with you, Winslow knew your name, but neither Rose or I ever mentioned it.”

  Enraged, Ray clenched his fists. His face turned red as he stood up. “How dare you say that.”

  Jacques also jumped to his feet. “Am I wrong?”

  Ray softened.

  Jacques said, “My guess is you didn’t expect them to betray you. Or change the plan.”

  In the space of a breath, Ray landed a surprise left uppercut under Jacques chin, which knocked him out cold. Upset, he grabbed a zip tie from his cargo pants pocket and cuffed Jacques hands together. Unsteady, Ray put his hands against the cold steel wall and exhaled every bit of air left in his tired lungs.

  Chapter 33

  Chin climbed down the ladder and jogged over to Rice. “Okay boys, everything is in place.” He scanned the area, and then stared out of the front window. “Still good with the plan?” Winslow and Chin both nodded.

  Then Rice said, “Okay fellas, let’s roll.”

  In tandem, they tossed the barricade junk aside. When the entrance was clear, they unlocked the front door. When Rice signaled, he shoved the door open and ran to the Armored SWAT van parked in front. When they slammed the thick vehicle doors shut, two zombies ran up and pounded on the side of the vehicle.

  “Almost there boys,” said Chin.

  When he twisted the key to start the vehicle it didn’t respond.

  Chin scanned the street. “What in the fuck?”

  Winslow responded, “I thought you said the vehicle was good to go?”

  Chin slammed his fists into the steering wheel.

  “It was, I checked it twice.”

  Winslow rolled his eyes.

  Chin said, “Cover me while I go figure out what’s wrong.”

  Chin reached under the dash and popped the hood, then drew his sidearm. When he slid the door open two zombies ran from the rear of the vehicle toward him. Without hesitation, he put each down with a single head shot. When he stepped out, Rice did the same thing to the trio charging out of the alley. After Chin moved to the front of the vehicle and lifted the hood, Rice circled the vehicle, and patrolled it with his outstretched sidearm.

  Chin cussed while he poked around the engine. When someone on the ground grabbed his leg, he reached for his sidearm. Before he could respond, he was pulled to the ground. Beneath the vehicle, Rose pressed him down and put her hand over his mouth while she stabbed him through the throat her massive hunting knife. He struggled when she jerked the knife out, but went still when she shoved through his ear.

  “Better than you deserve,” said Rose as she wiped his blood from her face.

  On the far side of the truck, Rice fired multiple close range shots, which stopped any approaching zombies. As he backed up, he stopped near the driver’s side fender and said, “I got your back man.” Then he peered through the space between the hood and vehicle. “Ready Chin? We don’t have all day here.”

  Under the vehicle, Rose rolled toward Rice. When she jammed her giant combat knife through his crotch, he screamed and doubled over. When he hit the ground, he puked. To stop him from wailing, she slit his throat. As he writhed and wheezed and convulsed, she jammed her knife through his eye socket and twisted it. Then blocked the pulsing gush of Valentine red blood with her boot as she tugged her knife out.

  Fully aware of what had just happened, Winslow sat frozen in the driver’s seat. As Ray emerged from the bank, Rose rolled out from under the vehicle and grinned like a girl in her first prom picture. Her black uniform was covered in both fresh and dried blood, and also streaked across her face. If he didn’t know her, he might mistake her for a zombie. Ignoring him, she limped around the front of the vehicle and attached the battery cable back to battery. Then she glanced over at him and said, “Let’s end that scum bag.”

  When she turned to walk to the driver side door, Ray plunged a machete through the side of her vest. As he lifted her off the ground by the blade, she squirmed and slashed at him, which only sliced the pads and fabric on the arms of his jacket. When he extended and fully twisted the blade, she stopped flailing. Like an unwanted puppet, she drooped over and collapsed from his blade onto the bloody street next to Chin’s corpse. Ray double checked the battery cables, then walked over to the passenger side and slid the thick door open.

  The rumble of the engine made the seats vibrate as Winslow fired up the truck and said, “About fucking time.”

  From the passenger seat, Ray identified a small horde was sprinting down the alleyway. “Here comes some more of them.” Unbeknownst to him, Jacques exited the bank and noticed it too. With a machete in his hand, Jacques scanned the area, but focused on the truck as it pulled away and rolled over Rose and Chin. As it passed, Jacques’ filthy face transformed from the sorrow of seeing Rose dead to dead eye anger. From behind the wheel, Winslow aimed his 9MM at the passenger side window, when he shot through the glass his bullet hit Jacques in the shoulder.

  When the bullet exited, Jacques winced in pain, but ignored it as he ran forward. Jumping to catch one of the handles on the back door of truck, he gripped it like a parachute then dragged behind the truck as it sped away. The undead mass snarled and raced after the truck as he pulled himself up to the bumper. Barely balancing, he reached into his vest pocket to retrie
ve a detonator. “Let’s see what you do now.” When he pressed the button, he smirked.

  When he peered around the side of the truck to witness the explosion, Winslow shot him in the forehead. As the brewery and the bank exploded simultaneously, the violent blast shook the armored van. As they sped down the main street a hydrant on the sidewalk sprayed water on the windshield as they passed it.

  Chapter 34

  At the end of main street, Winslow slammed on the brakes. On the hill to their right, the massive zombie legion rushed down it like a human waterfall towards main street. Ray shouted, “What the fuck are you waiting for?” As the zombies emptied the hilltop, it looked like a giant wave in a packed stadium. When the first wave flooded the cross street, it provided a thick human barrier, which they would need to break through.

  Ray said, “They don’t notice us yet. It won’t take much to plow them over. Just drive slow to preserve the integrity of the vehicle and we will be fine.”

  Overflowing the cross street, a large contingent of the surging wave noticed the truck, and broke off. Winslow was frozen and didn’t respond. His shock was apparent. When the zombie got close enough to read the emblems and graphics on some of their T-shirts, Ray put his compass on the dashboard. Then shot Winslow in the side of his head. “I never liked you.”

  Wiping the goo from the door, he slid it open and kicked this limp corpse out onto the street. When Ray hopped into the driver’s seat, the massive wave of undead now clogged the cross street like an annual festival. When the overflow of zombies jumped on the vehicle, and smashed it with their fists, he exhaled. As multiple zombies attempted to climb through the broken passenger side window, Ray barely accelerated, which pushed some out the way when he rolled them over.

  As he got closer to the wave, the truck was enveloped. When he smashed through the thick wave, the truck nearly tipped as the enormous horde pressed against it. When a bloated zombie clinging to the passenger side door reached into the broken window, Ray fired a single shot through its eye. Before it fell off, several zombies jumped up and attempted to climb over it to get into the window.