Kali stayed within the backseat of the Prius. Erik cleaned the gore from the bat within the grass beside the dead. He looked up to see a horde approaching in front of him but luckily a concrete aqueduct stood in the way. The zombies fell like synchronized swimmers jumping from the edge of a pool. Ten feet below the angled sides of the aqueduct sat the Grand river. It wasn’t a big river but the current was known to grab a few people now and then. The zombies should be easy pickings for the river. Erik watched as the first few zombies attempted to stand within the water. They barely stood before it took them down the river. Erik followed them till they disappeared under an overpass. He chuckled to himself because it was a little comical to watch. Kali grabbed Erik’s right arm. Erik swung around viciously and stopped seconds from knocking her head clean off her little body. Kali ducked and fell backward. She landed hard on her rear but looked up. Stood then walked quickly back to the Prius.

“Wait!” Erik shouted. “Don’t,” but Kali had already closed the passenger door and disappeared from view. She slid herself completely out of sight. Erik then heard, from above, a distant conversation. It wasn’t understandable but the voices were distinctively human. He looked up to see five large winged creatures gliding overhead. Each creature had an wing span that matched their human-like length. The evening sun could be seen through loops below the bony structure of the wings.

“Crap…crap…crap,” Erik shouted. Above him was a brood of vampire. They could typically only glide so they likely had a nest within one of the taller buildings in the city. They were mortal and could be killed but they often hunted in packs and had extraordinary strength. They were not common outside the walls, which was a mystery but still Erik did not expect to deal with them within the city. It was thought that they fed on the zombies but it could not be proven at least not until now. Erik waited till they passed overhead then sunk downward and crawled toward the Prius. He turned, his back against the vehicle and sat to watch. The brood hovered over the horde of zombies. Few continued to fall into the aqueduct but some actually began to stop and go around. A small footbridge was built about 200 yards on the left and Cooper St. was paved over the aqueduct 300 yards further. The horde milled around awkwardly because some of the zombies attempted to walk forward into the aqueduct as others tried to avoid falling and walked around. Eventually, creating an awkward mass of dead walking. The vampire brood spun overhead like vultures then landed on the outside of the horde. Like gods, unafraid of the mere undead mortals below, the vampire shoved the zombies into the aqueduct. They cleared the horde until only a few stood in the center of the vampire brood. The circle was tight as they stood shoulder to shoulder. Two vampire stepped forward and shoved a zombie to the ground. They disappeared within the circle returning within a few minutes covered in blood. The two vampire returned to the circle and another two stepped in. The circle began to loosen as the two vampires could not stop moving. They shouted aggressively at the others in the circle and tore apart any zombies that approached the brood. The strength of the two vampire seemed to increase 3-fold but also they seemed to be hyperactive and 3-times as dangerous. The other two vampire appeared and took their place in the circle.

The zombie-vampire theater production in front of Erik preoccupied Erik and he did not notice several zombies approach the red Prius. Erik did not notice the zombies beating on the Prius windows till the rear drivers window eventually busted. The glass sprayed over Kali as she hide between the seat. Erik looked to his left and found another zombie stumbling past the front of the Prius.

He heard the slide-stomp of another zombie approach as he grasp the can. He slid out of the side window. Stepped back and watched as the zombie walked slowly around the rear corner of the Red Prius. It’s jaw slacked, muscles tight against its face. Erik drank the beer quickly. Stepped forward and was about to swing when the back door of the Prius swung open. The zombie immediately grabbed the door and lunged at the young girl. Kali stood. She was thin and half Erik’s height. She screamed, fell back into the Prius and attempted to close the door. Erik swung the bat, smashing it into the zombie’s long face. Its face shattered. It stumbled backward and fell over the front corner of the Prius. A second zombie approached Erik from behind. He didn’t look but heard the shuffling feet. Erik looked down into the Prius and found that the zombie in the passenger seat had managed to unbuckle the seat belt. It attempted to climb over the back seat but it was too tall and not smart enough to bend over. The reaction time of the zombie was 60 seconds or more. Kali moved back and forth quickly in the seat causing the zombie to grasp at nothing. The second zombie approach. Erik could feel the rancid breath on his neck. Erik turned to swing but the zombie was too close. The momentum from the end of the bat missed his head by three feet. Erik hit the zombie with his hands and the thin grip of the bat. It pushed the zombie out of the way but did nothing else. Erik stepped out of the way and swung at its knees forcing it to the ground. Eric grabbed his duffel, which sat behind the zombie and ran to the passenger-side of the Prius. The zombie within the passenger seat squeezed itself between the driver and passenger seat and began to pull toward Kali. She was wedged against the seat and the back door. Erik attempted to open the door but it was locked. He banged on the window and shouted but Kali only jumped, almost leaping into the zombies arms. In an attempt to yank the zombie from the car. Erik tried the front passenger door but it was locked too.

“Unlock the door!” He shouted as he tried to open the back door again. Kali was shaking. Her fear noticeable from outside a thick pane of glass. Another pair of zombies approached from behind Erik. Erik grabbed the shotgun and fired off two shot downing each one quickly. Erik, dropped the shotgun into his bag and again picked up the bat. He fired the bat at the front passenger window causing it to burst. The zombie inside stopped as shards of glass covered him. Erik quickly unlocked the front door, avoiding the remaining glass and grabbed the zombie. Erik grabbed the legs and pulled. The zombie fell into the body of the driver forcing it to fall against the side window. A single gun shot wound was above the eye. Erik then attempted to pull the zombie from the Prius. It fought back holding onto anything it could grasp but Erik thrust the bat into the zombies chin breaking its jaw. The zombie released his grip. Erik pulled him from the Prius and dragged it next to the others he had killed with the shotgun. He then killed the zombie by smashing its head with the bat.

“Goddamn deer,” Erik shouted at the dying brown mass of skin, muscle and bone lying on both his ankles. The deer still struggled to stand. Every time the animal moved the pain handcuffed Erik’s thought about the zombie approaching from above him. If he could free one foot he could push the damn thing off his other ankle. Erik could hear the zombie shuffle closer. It wore a single brown shoe and a partial brown shoe. The partial slipped off then back on the rotten toes of the zombie like a bathroom slipper. It stopped just under the back of Erik’s head. Erik looked up. The zombies right arm was mangled, dried blood clung to the hair on its arm. The forearm was broken and a jagged piece of bone had burst through the skin just under the elbow. The other arm was forward. The zombie then attempted to step forward losing his partial shoe. The rotten foot of the zombie stepped upon Erik’s chest. The weight of the six-foot zombie fell upon Erik’s chest immediately because it stumbled as it tried to walk upon Erik. It then fell forward. Its rotten foot slipping into Erik’s chin, over his nose then over his head. The awful smell of the rotten, gangrene flesh paired with dirt and grim made Erik gag and pull away. He managed to free one ankle in the process and the other was released when the deer jumped to avoid the falling zombie. Erik immediately got to his knees then attempted to stand but his ankles throbbed. He leaned against a red Toyota Prius and paused. The zombie had fallen on its face. Erik noticed that the deer had attracted a horde of seven more zombies that slowly moved through the tall grass.

The glass from the Prius, under Erik’s left hand shook and Erik’s heart dropped. His breath left him and he shook in fear for several seconds. He recovered and looked into the window of the Prius. A small girl stared back at him from behind the glass. Her saucer-sized gaze instantly told Erik this little girl was alive. In this mess of a situation rescuing a little girl was just not what Erik had in mind. He needed to rescue himself.

“Damnit…damnit…,” Erik recovered the bat from under the Mustang. He killed the shoeless zombie and picked up his duffel bag. The horde crept closer. Another pair of zombies approached from the other side of the road. The young girl sobbed within the Prius. She sat back against the rear passenger seat. A body sat against the steering wheel and another in the front passenger seat. He then realized the body in the passenger seat was moving. Erik then realized the danger the young girl faced. He felt the terror in the girl’s eyes. The fear of dying a gruesome, painful death. He turned away and thought. He stared and the horde moving forward. Its non-emotional, fearless gaze. Its non-caring bringers of death to everything with a heartbeat. Erik’s end-of-days mission looked to change. He had to rescue this little girl.

Erik tightened his grip on the bat and walked over to the Mustang’s driver-side window and reached in for a beer.

Posted: October 17, 2013 in City of Zombies 
Tags: fiction, horror, zombies

0

The Mustang rumbled loudly as it rode over the abandoned street leading to city center. The grass and weeds along the outside of the asphalt stood at knee height, sneaking into long cracks along Michigan Avenue. The former city artery was littered with cars. Most were pushed out of the way, sitting with broken windows and large dents. They were likely pushed out of the way by heavy machinery. Erik drove through the chaos easily. He tossed his third beer out the car window toward a small lumbering undead teenager. Its right foot folded behind the ankle. Erik opened another beer and dodged a pair of trucks. Something moved outside then moved behind an Oldsmobile. Erik’s gut tighten and the hair on his arms stood. His moment was quickly approaching. He unzipped the duffel bag and slid out the shotgun. The beer swam in his head as shadows skipped around outside. Several cars sat close together preventing Erik from moving through them. He could plow through it but it would destroy his father’s Mustang. Erik was not willing to destroy the only physical piece of his family left. “This is where he would make his stand”, he said to himself as he turned off the Mustang. He placed the shotgun on his lap and reached over for the duffel bag. Something bayed outside. Erik looked up to see a white-tailed deer racing toward him. It leap from the tall grass, bounced once and crashed onto the hood of Eric’s Mustang. The windshield cracked and spidered-out, the hood bowed downward. Erik sat, pale-faced, in the drivers seat. His father’s car wrecked. The deer’s head lay near the drivers-side and feet hung off the passenger-side. The shadows bounced around again eventually appearing as the undead. Two appeared from the passenger side and two from the driver’s side.

Erik grabbed his duffel bag, opened his driver door quickly and fired the shotgun. The shot killed the first zombie and pushed it into the second one. The second zombie stumbled then fell. Erik fired a second shot and the second zombie stopped moving. Erik set his bag down, slid the shotgun inside and pulled out the baseball bat. He stepped away from the driver’s door and closed it. The deer bayed loudly, struggled, but couldn’t move. The third zombie held tightly to the legs. She was a once beautiful 40 year old woman. She still wore a pair of strappy pumps with the heels broke off. The zombie gorged on the live deer. Preoccupied by the meal. Erik squared up over the brunette zombie and swung the bat downward. The bat thumped upon the top of the zombies head and killed it instantly. The deer immediately jumped up toward Erik. It bolted forward and stumbled on its eaten back legs. Erik fell backward. The bat flew from his hand and landed behind him. The deer fell over his ankles. The fourth zombie shuffled past the bat kicking it under the Mustang.

The Army pushed and shoved the infected toward the center of the Northeastern Territory. Years prior Ransom began building a wall to keep the infected out. The program failed miserably as the infected filed in from outside the city. The infection turned everyone into animals. The sweetest children into monsters and the adults into violent psycopaths. Ransom had become ground zero for the territory leaders experiment with containing the infection.

The Northeastern Territory Guard swept into Ransom and locked it down. They completed the security perimeter after two weeks of beating back of waves of walking dead. The wall then contained the monsters within the city and became an example to cities around the world. Years after the completion of the wall death squads collected the infected secured within the walls. Trucks packed with the infected began coming from outside of the city. Many times, miles from the city, a contractor would pay to dispose of the infected. Within months a new industry was created. Other cities began to build walled cities. The industry of shipping infected dried up quickly and Ransom was largely abandoned. The gates and the city then beacon for shady business. The mob and the new city of Anderson often sentenced individuals to death within the city.

Anderson had grown large due to the transporation of the infected. Bars, entertainment and tourism became staples of the city but also crime. Once the income began to diappear Anderson fell to a collection of mob bosses. These bosses began to enforce the rules within the city through squads of Enforcers. The Enforcers drove around the city collecting debts, terrorized residence and whatever riff raff seemed to be around to take the punishment.

Erik slept most nights under the First street bridge. Death layered hopelessness weighed down upon him as thoughts of his family played through slowly. He had grew up within Ransom but now lived in Anderson. The bridge consealed him from most of the issues above in the city. Occasionally, he would then lie upon the grass and stare at the stars till he fell asleep. He was alone in every sense of the word.

The infection took his children and his wife early within the campaign to push the infected to the city. Erik worked at the Holy Cross Research center when the infected overwhelemed downtown Ransom. His youngest daughter was one of the first taken, then his oldest. His wife fell just before they escaped from the city. Erik watched as others dragged him away from the infected. Erik broke, as did many others but they recovered eventually. Erik did not.

That was nearly four years prior to the day the Enforcers took Erik to the wall.

Kali sat quietly as Eric slept. The banging eventually stopped when the zombies outside finally realized that a midnight snack was not going to be easy to gobble up. Kali sat quietly against the cold aluminum garage door while Erik snored loudly in the corner next to her. She was sure several of the nasal fits from Erik would of alerted the zombies outside but they didn’t. The zombie nurse lay in the center of the garage the moonlight lit her face in an eerie glow so that it looked as if her glazed over eyes were peering right at Kali. At this point though, she was too frightened or tired to move. As bad, as her parents had been she missed them terribly. The constant battles with the law, the excitement of the next big scam. It was a life that left little time for reflection and Kali was often the one that was left to move quickly without thinking. She, being the youngest of the family, was told last and at the very worst moment. She knew how to deal with a crisis and this one was no different.

The last thing her parents choose to do brought them into the City of Zombies. A last minute pickup at grade school. A short drive. Her bags already packed and stuffed into the trunk in the red Prius. Most would think it was irresponsible to take children into a zombie infested walled off city but most didn’t live with the Bronson family. It had been the most exciting thing they had ever done. A small prize was apparently located within the city and her mother and father would do anything to get it. Kali only got a glimpse of the prize as her father shoved it in a backpack and zipped it up. A blur of black stones. Her parents laughed of its rumored magical properties for the monetary value it would bring. It didn’t stop her older sister from telling the story. Her sister said a soldier found the stone in Iraq. When he returned from Iraq he found his wife had been murdered only two hours before he arrived back in the city. He took the stones with him to the viewing of the body and woke her from the dead. The infection spread through the morgue then the hospital but Kali’s father dismissed the idea. The media outlets broadcast the idea that it was a bad batch of muscle enhancement drugs and that’s what the family would agree that it was. Over, Kali’s objections of course.

Something heavy fell against the aluminum garage door behind Kali and she jumped out of her skin. Erik moved little and Kali found herself standing next to the undead nurse. Her undead, rotten smell piercing her small nose. Outside, Kali heard movement but this was not the shuffle-shuffle of zombies. It was a single individual with quiet steps and a little human chatter.

The city was not huge. It had six tall buildings. The remaining buildings were between four to eight stories tall. The city would be packed with the roaming dead. Outside the city dozens of family homes sat empty. Broken windows and doors. A large privacy fence stood in front of the windows. The fence was up in some areas and falling downward in others. Erik parked the Mustang. The ground fell sharply followed by the tall fence. The fence was likely used to blunt the noise from the street. A few zombies roamed around the fence. The Mustang would not make it down the sharp drop. Erik turned off the car and explained to Kali that they would have to walk to one of the houses on the other side of the fence. Kali didn’t even pause to think about it and said “OK”. Erik reached back into his duffel, and grabbed another can of beer. He offered one to Kali followed by an apology but Kali just smiled. “At least she doesn’t hate me completely,” Erik thought. They opened the doors of the Mustang and stepped out. A few zombies roamed nearly 200 meters on the right and a little farther on the right. The fence was most of the way down right in front of them but there was no way to know how many wandered around on the other side. Erik met Kali in front of the Mustang and helped her down the steep slope. At the bottom they walked slowly and carefully through the thick grass. The fence hovered over the grass. Erik pushed it down slowly. It groaned. Erik asked Kali if he could lift her. She agreed. Erik lifted her onto the fence and it pushed downward into the grass. Erik began to step forward when a zombie crept into view. The side of its face was gored like someone had swung at it with pickax. Luckily, it was blinded and Erik had time to pull Kali from the fence. They sat quietly waiting against the fence. As the zombie shuffled past Erik stared forward at his Mustang. He sank into thought as he stared at the cherry red, curves not busted by the deer. He dreamt about his father when he would spend hours waxing and re-waxing the car. “It made father happy,” he thought but that thought drifted into a thought about his wife, her copper hair hanging over his face.

He quickly shook off the thought and looked back over the fallen fence. The zombie had passed. A small duplex, with a garage, stood across the street. It had dirty, white shingles and an over-grown lawn but the first-floor windows and doors were boarded up. It was a sure sign that someone had at least lived there recently. Maybe they still lived there. Erik and Kali would have to move quickly. It was likely more zombie stood and waited. This time Erik would step first followed by Kali. The fence creaked. Erik grabbed Kali and they walked carefully over the fence. They walked cautiously across the road without notice. They approached the front door of the house. Erik tugged at a large piece of plywood covering the front door and windows but they didn’t budge. “Whoever put these up put them up well,” he said. Erik and Kali walked toward the back of the house looking for a way to enter. Every window was covered but the windows on the second floor and the basement windows. The second floor windows were too high and the basement windows were too small. “You think you could fit in those windows?” Erik asked quietly. Kali shrugged and Erik dropped the subject. A garage, with an open side door stood beside the house. “Maybe we can find a ladder,” Erik said. Erik kept Kali behind him ready for any zombie to met them at the door but nothing happened. The garage was dark and the lights did not work. A zombie or two could still be hiding somewhere inside but in order to get into the house they needed a ladder. A ladder tall stood against a dark wall. It was enough to reach the roof of the front porch . Erik warned Kali to stay against the large metal garage door and tell him if she saw anything. She did as she was told and Erik approached the ladder. An ax stood in front of the ladder and Erik moved it quietly, taking note so he would remember to come back for it. The ladder seemed to be attached to the wall by bungie so Erik unhooked one then the other. The ladder jerked forward and fell hard to the ground. Erik jumped back and cringed when the aluminum crashed onto the concrete floor of the garage.

“Son of a bitch,” Erik swore as he picked it up and set it back against the wall. Once he placed it on the wall Kali screamed and Erik’s knees fell out from under him. “Damnit,” Erik looked and a zombie shuffled from the opposite side of the garage. It headed right for Kali. Erik grabbed the ax, walked slowly to the zombie and stood in front of Kali ready to strike. Through the dim light of the garage door windows Erik could see that this zombie was dressed as a nurse. Erik heaved the ax and brought it down right across the right shoulder and into the spine severing several important arteries to the brain. The zombie fell dead in the center of the garage. Shuffling from outside alerted Erik to movement.

Erik ran over to the open door and noticed four zombies all wandering toward the garage. He closed the door hard and it luckily had a lock that worked. With the door shut and the evening light fading it was difficult to see anything inside the garage. “They are going to bust the door down,” Eric said. “I need to find something to brace the door so we can at least be safe for the night. He looked at Kali, who stood against the garage door. He followed her gaze back to the zombie nurse who laid dead on the concrete floor. “I’m afraid we are stuck with nurse Betty for the night.” He smiled and Kali smiled back then walked toward the far end of the garage door.

“There has got to be some tools in here and something to block the door.” Erik started at the back of the garage and moved toward the garage door. He could only see faint shadows but he managed to find a hammer and a large sheet of plywood. While searching for a box of nails Erik found a half empty bottle of Kentucky whiskey. He picked up the bottle, opened it and took a swallow. The whiskey burned as the brown syrup covered his parched throat. “Oh my God, that feels good.” Behind the bottle he found the box of nails. “Alright kid we are going to be alright, tonight,” he said confidently, carrying the bottle along with. Eric walked over to the garage door. The zombies that noticed him prior banged on the door but it was more like they were neighbors and not trying to break it down. Erik swallowed another from the bottle, set the bottle behind him and laid the plywood against the door. The zombies suddenly banged violently. The door jumped forward, Eric jumped back and kicked over his bottle of whiskey. “Crap”. The plywood fell forward but it stopped before it fell upon him. Kali caught the plywood and pushed it against the door. The banging increased and the garage door rocked. It would not hold much longer. Eric paused then found the hammer which had dropped behind him. He picked up the bottle of whiskey, which had lost most of the whiskey. Thought about taking a drink but decided not to.

Kali held the plywood against the door as Eric quickly nailed the wood to the frame around the door. Once finished Eric finished off the bottle of whiskey and sank to the floor. Kali crept to the large garage doors and sat by herself.

The whiskey and exhaustion began to take hold. Eric stared forward. His thoughts lost in recollection of an unbelievably rough life.

Kali had seen all this before. Her father was no saint. Twice convicted of driving under the influence her father had a reputation of being the worse of the worse. “He had robbed every bank within the county twice,” he bragged once. Her father was a good father but a terrible person. From her seat behind the garage door Kali stared at Eric. His head bobbing as tried to stay awake. She knew that Eric was just as out of touch with reality as her father. Like her father Eric was an alcohol bandaged, macho son of a nice guy and Kali was fine with it.

Kali lay against the door of the Mustang. She stared at her feet in an attempt to not look at Erik.

“Do you have a name?” Erik asked.

The young girl sat quietly, her light brown hair hanging in front of her eyes. She shuffled her feet slightly but made no other sound.

“Do you mind answering me? Erik spoke harshly. A little more than he expected. He corrected his tone slightly and added. “I just risked my ass saving you. I would like to know your name for my records?” Erik smiled but the hint of a joke went unseen.

The trip back to the wall seemed to take twice as long as the trip into the city. The tall grass stood till they were near 300 yards from the wall. At this point, the cars on the road were pushed off the road. The grass and weeds mixed with the black shadows caused by car fires and bullet holes. Erik then remembered the machine guns posted every few yards above the wall. The guns were used to battle back the zombies if they got close. Would they fire upon Erik if they approached. Erik began to explain this to Kali when she abruptly said her name.

“Kali, wonderful. Very nice to meet you,” he said pleasantly. “Well… we may have a problem.”

It was then that the first bullet thumped through the left front quarter panel. Erik’s heart leap twice consecutively. Another bullet thumped into the hood followed by a third 30 seconds later. It was not a machine gun but a sniper. Erik stopped the car. Looked forward and down to see if he could see the shooter. Another shot hit the Mustang windshield lower center.

“Crap… Damnit… I’m sorry Kali but it looks like we are stuck here. My damn car.. My father’s damn car.” Erik reversed the Mustang turned and sped back toward the city. He was careful not to stop this time.

“Crap”, Erik avoided a swipe and grab from the thick meaty hands of the zombie. It was twice as large as him. The bat sat at his side. The shotgun sat toward the front of the Prius behind the zombie next to a can of beer. “Seriously,” he thought. “Beer isn’t going to do crap for you now. A bottle of whiskey would be better.” Erik swung the bat at the zombies knees as he slowly scooted backward away from to towering walking, rotten, meat stick. The zombie fell backward falling into the the broken passenger window. The fall pushed the Prius hard causing Kali to scream inside. The scream only increased the frenzy from the zombie attempting to enter the Prius on the driver’s side. The big meat stick zombie struggled to stand his left knee unsteady but still working. He stood dragged his arm across the broken glass of the passenger front window and began to lumber toward Eric again. Blood fell from his arm as he reached forward to grab at Erik again. Erik pushed backward, unable to stand. Erik swung again. This time tendons within its left knee snapped. The lower joint thrust forward but the zombie felt no pain. It was only when the leg would no longer hold it up that it fell backward and right, away from Erik. Erik stood. He did not care who saw him. He ran around the zombie grabbed the duffel and bolted passed the Prius and passed the Mustang but three move zombies stood within the tall grass. He looked back to see a thin female zombie half within the rear driver’s side window. Erik could not see Kali but imagined she had little time left to live. He looked across the street to the aqueduct and the brood of vampire watched curiously. “What the hell…” “Goddamnit…” Every synapse in every nerve in his body told him to run the hell out of this place. They screamed at him. The whole morbid romanticized suicidal thought skittered around his knees waiting to escape but Erik paused and stepped forward. He grasped the female zombie, pulled her from the Prius. Grabbed the shotgun and fired. The brood of vampire began to leap toward Erik. Erik pushed the female zombie from the passenger door. Grabbed Kali and pulled her from the Prius. She resisted because of the sudden aggression but had little choice but to follow. Several vampire landed within the tall grass on the other side of the aqueduct. They would likely jump again and land very close to both Eric and Kali. With Kali following Erik opened the door of the Mustang and pushed Kali inside. She resisted but Erik screamed. The vampire hovered within 50 feet. Kali scampered over the driver’s seat to the passenger seat. Erik jumped into the driver’s seat and attempted to start the car. It resisted but started. With the hood and windshield busted Erik hit the clutch, put it in reverse and hit the gas. The Mustang responded as it always did and they quickly lengthened the distance between them and death. Several cars stood in the way but Erik had room to move forward and turn around. He was not staying within the city anymore.

It was early October. The temperature under the back porch was chilly but Erik slept till the sun peeked over the homes surrounding them. He found himself face down lying on his arms. He looked up to find Kali missing. His arms and shoulders were asleep and throbbed with a dull pain. He searched as his arms throbbed. He then noticed a pair of feet walking slowly toward the back porch. The white tennis shoes and loose-fitted jeans were familiar and Kali soon stopped in front to the porch. She whispered to Erik that the backyard was empty of danger and he could leave his hiding spot. Erik searched from his vantage-point and saw no zombies stumbling over the yard. He crawled to the broken lattice and pushed it open. A zombie tripped and fell near the front of the house. Erik’s heart leapt and he almost slipped back under the porch like a prairie dog to its hole but the zombie was too far to sense him.

Erik crawled from under the porch. Kali stood proudly above Erik’s bag and a box of food. “Where did you get this?” Erik asked. “Inside the garage and house,” Kali said with a smile.

“Are you crazy!” Erik shouted then stopped abruptly, “why did you go out by yourself. You could of been eaten. What do you think you are the Terminator?!”

Kali’s smile disappeared but unlike a typical girl her age she stood confidently. “Um, I think I’ve been doing this longer then you. I know how to work around these monsters. You were the one suggesting we hide under a porch all night.”

Erik stood silently for a moment. Scanning the empty backyard with the overgrown grass and young trees growing unnaturally within the plastic child toys. “If you are so god damn smart just get the hell out of here!” Erik shouted. Angry over the unspoken challenge to his authority. Kali’s confidence wavered, it showed in her face and the position of her hands but she held up and offered Erik a loaf of bread. Erik took the bread broke it and offered the lower half back to Kali. Erik felt bad and apologized quietly.

Erik and Kali mingled within the backyard of the home till close the noon. The temperature hovered around 70 during the hottest moments of the day. “We need to find some shelter. The vampire may come back.” Erik began. “We can’t go to the wall with the machine guns and we shouldn’t go into the city but we can’t stay here. We have no good options.”

“My grandmother is still alive in the city. She can help.”

“Seriously? How’s that?”

“My family survives. It’s what we do.”

Erik had doubts but it was an option when there seems to be none. “Ok, we need to get back to the Mustang.

“My grandma lives on First Street.”

“That’s just outside the city. We would have to get through the city. Not a great idea.”

“Grandma has weapons”.

“You know how to motivate a man, don’t you,” Erik smiles. “I could do with some beer too.” Kali just smiled.

Kali cringed as she moved to get comfortable. Cob webs hung under the back porch. They dangled at the height of her hair and her ears. She shivered with the thought of the 8-legged insect with giant jaws and creepy legs but just then Erik touched her hand and whispered to lay on her belly. The vampire approached from outside. They talked amongst themselves but didn’t seem to suspect anything under the porch.

Erik’s nervousness increased two-fold with every step the vampire made toward them. Kali was lying on her belly looking forward. Erik searched for an escape if something went wrong. They could slip under the house but its not something Erik wanted to do. He wanted to get through this night. He wanted to be sitting in Wurst Bar, eating a bratwurst sandwich and getting drink with someone… anyone. The problem with that was that the Wurst Bar was within the middle of college town, zombie central. Kali gasp, breaking Erik from the thought. A vampire had approached a pair of boots sat impatiently sitting under the broken lattice. Erik noticed that the vampire wore loose-fitted jeans which rubbed against the edges of the lattice. It could catch at any moment, rip open and expose them but it didn’t. The vampire moved away from the back porch.

“Their not here,” said a vampire. “Josh must of tangled with that zombie in the garage. Stupid kid.” Suddenly, several feet crashed down upon the wooden porch. Kali screamed. Erik reacted quickly and somehow leap. He covered Kali with his body. Tried to mute her and protect her at the same time. The two vampire above heard none of it.

“That was my brother, you ass.”

“He was a little punk.”

“Son of a bitch,” both vampire leapt at the others. They fought within the darkness.

Erik whispered, “I think we are going to be OK.”

Posted: December 10, 2013 in City of Zombies 
Tags: fiction, horror, zombies

0

The vampire leaned forward and leaped forward without bending his little knees. He slipped through the broken window frame like magic. He touched none of the angled, pointed shards and landed with ease on the other side of the window. Erik, remembered the ax and grabbed it quickly from the floor but the vampire was in front of him in an instance. The young vampire pushed Erik backward and fell along with him. Erik hit the ground hard. Pain spread from the center of his back to the outskirts of his shoulders. The ax fell from his hand. The little vampire slapped him hard in the face then attempted to bite him right under the chin. Erik thrust his right arm onto the vampire’s chest and searched for the ax with his left. He began to felt the points of teeth on his arm and jerked his arm away. The vampire fell forward but it allowed Erik two seconds to grab the ax and push it into the vampire’s face. While Erik and the vampire fought Kali found the 2 x 4 and approached the wrestling match. She squared up over the little vampire and swung downward. She hit the vampire just above the shoulders and he fell on top of Eric. Eric paused for a second and then lifted the vampire upward. He noticed before, pushing him off to the right that this young boy was tearing up. Kali had hurt him but unlike a super-villain this vampire was in tears. The seconds dragged on as Erik moved him slowly. Erik drifted off into memories of his young son, long dead, then returned and scooted away quickly to join Kali. Kali handed him the ax. “You Ok,” Erik asked. Kali nodded. A scream burst from the darkness and the young vampire sped toward Erik and Kali. Erik lifted the ax and swung. He buried the ax into the right side of the young vampire’s neck. He did not sever the neck and when Erik pulled the ax from the neck the young boy lay on the concrete floor broken and swimming in blood.

“Oh my god!” Erik shouted. His emotions shook his entire body. Kali stayed close to him holding his left arm but there was little time for emotion. They both heard footsteps climbing over the roof and landing heavily on the ground. “The others are on the way,” Kali said. “What are we going to do?” Erik asked. His emotion clouding his thought process. “I don’t know… run?”

Erik looked up at Kali and smiled because he immediately thought it was impossible but then realized they really had no other options. They couldn’t stay. “We can run out of the large garage doors.” Kali smiled but said nothing.

Erik looked out the window in the garage door. Saw no one and twisted the rusted silver bar to unlock the door. He pushed it up slowly and peaked under the door. There was a clear path across the drive to the fence but his Mustang sat above them and it would slow them. If they ran to the front porch of the house and then somewhere from there it would prevent the vampire from tackling them from above. He had no idea what to do after that. “Let’s go.”

Erik opened the door higher and Kali stepped out cautiously. Erik followed and let the garage door fall slowly. Erik walked forward staying within the shadows. He helped Kali speed from the garage to the house as the vampire searched from above and the back of the garage. They surprisingly made it to the front corner of the house when a zombie stumbled forward. Erik immediately pushed it forward and it fell on its face inside the driveway. The thump grabbed some attention and a few vampire leap from the garage to the house then to the roof of the house.

The front porch was dark, which was an advantage. The next house sat within six-feet but the vampire would see them cross. Erik looked upward to see the vampire climbing downward the slope roof. He also noticed the roof stretched outward a little over a foot. “This way. Stay against the wall.” Erik stepped out followed by Kali. They disappeared as much as they could against the wall and into the darkness. Erik moved toward the back of the house. He could hear the chatter from the other vampire and they would soon surround them both. Erik noticed a broken basement window. Kali could fit within it but Erik would struggle.

“Crap, I have no idea.”

“Under the back porch,” Kali said pointing. It was partially secured but two people could slip inside quickly. “Good idea,” said Erik and encouraged Kali to dash forward. He followed.

Erik and Kali stared at the smaller garage door. Erik’s mind raced.  Soon this little beast would bring in the others. They had no where to go but was there another door in this garage?” He wondered. “Let’s look for a new door Kali.” Erik asked but Kali had already disappeared within the darkness. While Erik and Kali searched the banging stopped but it wasn’t because the little vampire gave up. They heard him bang randomly on the walls of the garage, likely looking for a weak spot. Erik sped up searching as his eyes began to adjust to the dark. He found a long handled ax, a 2×4 and another bottle of whiskey. He tossed the 2×4 toward the front of the garage, grabbed the ax and the whiskey and began to walk them toward the front of the garage. Glass broke. Kali screamed and shuffling could be heard in the darkness.

“Crap”, Eric placed the whiskey on the floor and carried the ax with him. As he approached he could see Kali fighting to stay away from a dark window busted in the back of the garage. The moon lit a slice of light but Erik had no perfect swing that would release Kali. He laid the ax against the wall and it fell. He grabbed Kali around the waist and pulled. While he pulled he attempted to free her right arm from the grasp of the young vampire. The strength of the little beast matched his thirty-plus years.

“Oh my god,” he swore then he turned to put his body in front of Kali in the hopes to get better leverage. The vampire fought against the strength and weight of Erik’s thirty-plus years and started losing his grip. Because of this the little beast grabbed Erik by the shirt. His collar tightened around his neck and the shirt strained. Erik worked on the steel grip seemingly rusted to Kali’s arm. He worked one finger free when he felt his shirt loosen from his neck. Within seconds a fist crashed into his right kidney causing him to stumble but in doing this the vampire loosened his grip and Erik managed to free Kali. She disappeared into the darkness and Erik turned. The little vampire stood outside the window. The moonlight tracing the edges of the small vampire. His young face visible in the bars of light slipping into the garage. Barely 12 years old, the young beast growled. His teeth bared. The canine teeth were elongated barely abnormal but for the fact that they were pointed. His jaw was angled inward sharply and his chin hung well below a normal human’s chin.

Kali paused for several seconds watching the window but the vampire seemed busy within the house. Another scream erupted startling Kali. She walked over to Erik who lay against the wooden plywood, head down and snoring. She kicked at him lightly moving his foot but he didn’t wake. She moved and kicked him again under the right knee. Erik snorted and began to wake. Kali stepped back as the big man began to stretch.

“What’s going on,” he said as he stared at the darkness within the garage. The zombie nurse, lay as a shadow within the center of the garage.

“We have to leave,” Kali said timidly. “Why is that?” Erik replied harshly. Kali bit her bottom lip and thought for a long time before speaking. Erik waited but stopped when she didn’t answer quickly. He stood. Walked slowly to the windows in the garage door and looked outside. He noticed that the driveway was clear of zombies but several shadows milled around near the front of the house. The porch light spilled onto the driveway. Erik followed the light to the house. Figures moved within the house which was curious.

“Why do we have to leave, Kali?”

Kali stood feet together. She was noticeably uncomfortable but Erik didn’t care. “You do realize its absolutely not a good idea to go outside in the dark. Is it a scared thing? You don’t like to look at this frickn’ nurse.” he pointed at the body on the floor. “Well, we are stuck so you are going to have to suck it up.” Kali frowned. She debated whether it was worth an effort to fight. The thoughts of the vampire kicking down the fragile plywood and killing her played through her head. The death of her parents was the saddest moment of her young life but the most frightening thought is that her parents were no longer around to protect her. She felt alone at this very moment, unable to express to this stranger that they both were in danger.

“The vampire are looking for me,” she said finally defeating the urge to hide within her head. “They are next door and just killed everyone within the house. They know we are here.”

Erik turned from the window of the garage. Anger evident in his face. “There were people inside the house!” He paused. Thought about what Kali said. “Did you say they were looking for you?”

Kali turned and walked into the darkness of the garage. “Kali!” Eric said. “The vampire are ignorant, super charged punks. All they care to do is feed. Why are they looking for you?”

“Um…” Kali stepped forward into the light of the garage windows. A young face stared back from outside the window. A scream crept up from her throat but Kali managed to silence it. She squeaked a warning to Erik and pointed. Erik turned. The young vampire hung off the edge of the garage roof so he could look within the garage windows. He turned his head slowly as he noticed Erik looking back at him then dropped from sight. Within seconds the vampire attempted to open the garage door. He managed to open it slightly but not enough to push more then his hand through. When the large garage doors didn’t open he began to bang on the side door. The plywood would hold him off for a short time.

Peering through the windows of the garage Kali could see it was dark. A fluorescent light flickered highlighting a shadow. The shadow paced in front of the garage door. “Where did they go,” said one voice speaking to others somewhere outside. Kali could hear the muffled whispers of other people talking and walking on the tin roof of the garage.
“We have to find them, Aaron is already pissed we wasted another day getting off on zombie blood, said another as he approached the shadow in front of the garage. “They gotta be in the garage,” insisted the first shadow. Kali’s heart jumped but the other seemed to dismiss it. “No, they would of broke into the house first. We check that.” Kali watched both shadows move away from the garage door. She could then hear them upon the roof of the house. The windows on the second-story were unblocked. Kali heard the windows break. They entered the house then screams escaped into night air. Chills raced throughout Kali’s body and she fell to the cold concrete floor. She looked over to Erik but he was completely unconscious. Another situation left to deal with alone. Laughter erupted after the screaming. A chilling realization that these creatures didn’t care. Kali stepped forward and stood under the light of the moon. Her forehead barely reached the high windows on the garage door but she could see the vampire walking upon the roof of the house. A pair of vampire paced outside the busted second-story windows as more screams erupted. Kali looked over to see Erik stirring but didn’t wake. The nurse still lay staring at Kali with her infected gaze. Kali looked out the window again only to crouch quickly when a figure leapt up to look in from the other side. “Hopefully,” she thought, “he didn’t see her.”
“Hey, guys I think I found her,” said the young voice to the others on the roof.
“We will get her in a moment, ” said one of the others, “we have fresh meals all in this house, it’s a safe house. Let’s go.”
“..but guys,” the young voice protested.
“Come on, dumbass. If you did find her they won’t go very far. Their stuck in a garage.”
“Fine but its your ass.” Kali watched as a young man, not too much older then her leapt from the ground and onto the first-story roof of the house. He then disappeared through the broken window. The other two follwed.  Kali had to wake Erik.

Erik watched as a group of zombie stumbled toward them. Obviously, attracted by the noise of the Mustang engine. Behind them several pair shuffled toward them. Erik started to get nervous as he waited. The guardian came back to the window a few minutes later. The group stumbled one-fourth of the distance they had been before. They didn’t move fast but their number grew. If they made it to the parking lot Erik would have some problems pushing through them. The guardian opened the window and smiled. He had a pair of teeth, top center, within his mouth. He looked like a beaver with a beard. “We go a care package for you. It should get you through the rest of the week,” he said as he pushed a small cardboard box out the drive thru window.

“That’s great thank you,” Erik replied nervously looking forward then backward through the rear-view mirror. He sat anxiously as the guardian talked about other stations within the city. “Station 1 was the original, as you might be able to tell by the number, it was a people station. Unfortunately, it was lost in the beginning of our entrapment within the city. It was stationed in the center of town. We lost many others until we began to understand the habits of the dead. They seem to be attracted by noise then smell. We found that if you established ground rules, enforced by punishment we could survive till rescue…. but that was when we believed in a rescue. I’ve given up hoping and kinda…” The guardian stopped, disappeared for several seconds and returned with another box. He pushed it through the small window. “I just survive. I guess.” He then noticed Erik attention to other things not his and pushed his head out the window and toward the road. The group had grown to around 20 zombie all approaching the broken parking lot. He immediately panicked and pulled his head back inward but busted the top of his sparsely populated hairline on the window. Blood fell upon the aluminum on the bottom of the window but he soon disappeared. Erik could hear him screaming like a mad man but could not understand the occasional word.

Erik looked in his rear view mirror and noticed the two pair of zombies had managed to approach the Mustang. They began to grope the red paint along the rear of the car as it rumbled and smoked. The group ahead of him began to step into the parking lot. Within the entrance to the parking lot two zombies walked slowly. He would have to bolt for the exit before the others filled the entrance making escape more difficult. Another scream from within the drive thru distracted Erik and he then thought about the man within. He would be overrun by the dead within minutes and Erik debated what he could do to help.

“It’s not a bad idea,” said Kali quietly. Erik drove ahead and under the drive thru window. He looked quickly, saw nothing and began to pull ahead. 

“Stop!” Kali screamed and Erik immediately stopped. “What the hell?” He shouted.

“There is someone in there.” 

“I didn’t see anyone.”

“I think this is a station.”

“A what?” 

“I don’t know,” Kali began to explain but stammered. “Um…”

“My father used to take me here before he died. I remember but it’s been a long time.” 

“One thing, before I look at the window,” Erik began, “don’t scream at me when I’m driving!”

“… but anyways… I don’t think anyone would stay in here. It’s been abandoned since the infection started.”

Kali looked past Erik toward the window. Erik followed her gaze and to his surprise a disheveled man stared back. He had a month-long beard and blue eyes. He was tall, crouching to see out the pair of glass doors within the window. “Crap!” 

Erik backed up, squared up the driver’s window. He squared up the gruff, disheveled guardian of his small restaurant post but the man just stared forward. After several uncomfortable moments Erik looked to Kali for any information. She shrugged. 

“Hey!” Erik shouted and banged on the glass. The man nearly jumped from his beard but just as quickly presented a double barreled shotgun through the now open window. Erik stopped breathing immediately and unconsciously pressed down on the accelerator of the parked Mustang. The Mustang roared. 

The bearded guardian placed the gun back down beside him and laughed. Erik took in a vital breath, released the accelerator and growled. “What the hell!” 

“Welcome to station 12. How can I help you… you know you can help me.” 

“You could give me that beautiful car.” 

“F – off, man,” Erik spat. “We are hungry.”

“I bet. Let me see if I got anything,” the guardian said then laughed as the glass doors closed.

“Looks like this used to be a Rally’s.” Erik said as he pulled into the partially filled parking lot. The sign above the front of the building was broken. The white stripe that surrounded the red building had long black vertical cracks scattered throughout. The red paint along the walls fell in large chunks leaving the building with white spots. Grass had overtaken the asphalt in many places. Erik drove around the left side of the small building. A drive thru window sat under a concrete canopy. There didn’t seem to be a door to enter the building so Erik pulled up to the window and tried to open it. It moved inward slightly put it was locked. He then drove around the building following the potential drive thru lines. It had another window on the right side. There was a red door in the back of the building but Erik assumed it was locked. 

“Crap, I don’t know if this is a good idea,” he said. “The food is likely all bad. I’m sorry.”

In the rough and tumble world of surviving a zombie infection there is never an easy day so as Erik stood smiling next to the Mustang. He traced his forefinger along the edge of the white racing stripe laid upon the rear of the automobile. He followed it past the dust and grime upon the rear window and onto the roof. A small section of the over-polished red paint glinted in the falling late-noon sun. Erik then stared at the abomination, which was the spider-ed windshield and collapsed front hood. It immediately shook him back to the present. The walking dead stumble fifty feet from him and Kali. She sat watching as they stroll past inside the tall grass below the roadway. “Stroll, ha,” Erik thought and laughed. “It’s more like how about I walk like a pirate with two wooden legs.” Laughing aside Erik looked under the Mustang to find no leaking fluids. He wanted to look under the hood but the noise would attract the zombie horde. He estimated that it was mainly cosmetic. The windshield was totaled but mostly on the passenger side. The hope that is was still drivable made him smile and optimistic. Erik opened the passenger door slowly as he noticed a pair of rotted corpses approaching. He placed his duffel within the rear of the Mustang and put the key in. He turned the key slowly, his anxiety rising as the seconds ticked by. The Mustang struggled to move the steel within the engine. It hesitated just long enough for Erik to drop his optimism slightly but then boom. It roared like a lion in the grass. The undead below the roadway all turned there head as if they were impressed with the sound. Erik pushed the accelerator and the engine roared again. Kali quickly opened the passenger door and sat within the Mustang. Erik stared at the undead monsters below him. They began to walk toward the noise. The engine roared again and the zombies pushed forward. He let the engine settle and they relaxed their momentum. It was almost like a puppet show which was partially entertaining. Erik continued to rev the engine and the horde continued to push forward then slow. 

“Erik!” Kali shouted. The pair of rotted corpses fell upon the driver’s side window with a bang. Their blood covered fists left squared circles upon the glass. They pulled back their rotten fist and arms and slammed them again on the driver’s side window. Erik swore and noticed the horde stood feet in front of him. He placed the Mustang into reverse and hit the gas again. He hit one of the rotten corpse and it fell backward. The other tried to follow and grabbed the red hood of the Mustang but there was nothing to hold on too and it fell face first. Erik stopped, threw it into drive, and hit the gas. He debated running over the zombie but second-guessed it when he figure it could tear up his car more then it already is. He brushed the standing zombie and hit the zombie on the ground… somewhere. “Hopefully,” Erik thought, “fatally”.

The road ahead was blocked with cars. All abandoned and some with doors and trunks open. Erik scanned each car but had no plans to stop. It was just a curious gaze. The parked traffic became impassable. A small restaurant sat abandoned on the right. It’s parking lot extended to the road except for a small concrete parking sign. 

“You hungry?” Erik said. Kali nodded and Erik pulled into the drive. 

The Mustang took a final breath. Erik tried and tried to start it. He pushed the gas and turned the key but it was done. His father’s… Erik’s prized possession was done. Of course, this wasn’t the worse of his problems. Below the crest of the hill was a sea of zombies. All of them milling around and searching for a fresh meal. The Mustang had stopped slightly forward so Erik had to still use the brake to stop it from rolling.

“Your grandma lives down there doesn’t she?” Erik said with a growl but Kali said no.

“She lives on the top of the next hill up.” She said with an uncomfortable smile. “You have got to be kidding me!” Erik swung at the air. He cursed. Kali sat, watched the grown man throw a tantrum, then picked up a small backpack she had taken off her shoulders. Kali opened the passenger door and stepped out. Erik continued to curse but Kali ignored him. She walked confidently toward a two-story house purged on the crest of the hill. The zombies milled below the hill but they seemed to be absent from up here. They seemed to ignore the two human meals a little more then 50 feet above them. That was until Erik screamed at Kali like a father that was trying to verbally bring back a pouting kid, but Kali wasn’t his kid. She appreciated his assistance earlier but she could make it from here.

“Kali, stop!” “Please”.

Kali paused and turned. She noticed the crowd of undead below the hill begin to walk upward. She grimaced at the site of Erik, red-faced and banging on the hood of the Mustang. “Oh my god!” She thought. “This man is crazy.” Kali motioned for Erik to be quiet while pointing downward toward the crowd. When she was certain that he would stop she turned on her heel and sprinted toward the house on the hill.

Erik stopped screaming and watched as Kali turned away from him. He quickly realized his mistake. His temper had escaped and put him in danger as the zombies began to walk slowly up the hill. They seemed to struggle with the incline. The most muscular of the zombies seemed so stiff that they moved at the same awkward pace. Along with the stumbling the zombies would reach the top of the hill but not anytime soon. Erik grabbed his duffel and threw it on his back. He then headed toward the same house. He watched as Kali opened the front door and disappeared inside. Erik instinctively walked a little faster. His concern for the young girl surprised him but moved him forward. “You just don’t walk into a house without carefully thinking about it,” Erik thought. Soon, Erik’s fears were realized when Kali screamed. He began to run.

Erik drove the Mustang slowly though the city. The towering steel and glass structures of a post apocalyptic city stared down at him. The dead walked around the car for the most part uninterested in the noise that didn’t smell like food. It still took a long time to move through and it was approaching evening by the time they had reached the last 12-story building.

“Grandma Ann lives on First street. Last house on the left,” said Kali with a smile.

“Of course, last house on the left,” Erik snapped, “it couldn’t be first house right the hell in front of me! I need a beer.” He then reached into his duffel bag and fumbled around till he found one. He opened the warm can and drank it quickly. He then opened the window and hit a passing teenage prom queen with the can. The zombie growled and began toward them but Erik drove away and turned right onto First.

The street began at the base of a large hill. The Mustang began up the hill but suddenly slowed. Erik pressed downward on the accelerator but the Mustang moved forward slowly as if it was pushing against an invisible wall. Half way up the hill the Mustang began to sputter. Smoke began to snake from the crushed red hood. Erik pressed his teeth together tightly. His anxiety growing as they approached the crest of the hill. He encouraged the Mustang to move faster. Pushing the accelerator down several times and swinging his body back and forth. Kali watched out the windows. The houses along the hill were empty. The black window-less faces portrayed by the waning daylight displayed desperation and hopelessness. Kali hated to admit that she was comfortable with these burned out human-less relics, as depressing as they were but it was once her home. Her grandmother was a strange woman, nearly seventy. She was a survivor. At least that’s what Kali thought until the Mustang stopped on the crest of the hill.

Erik would have to distract the zombies and draw them away from the building but it would be too risky. The zombie group would overwhelm the car quickly. Erik decided to try. He rolled the window down and pushed forward on the gas pedal. The Mustang roared, Erik screamed out the window and waved his left arm. Kali followed suit out the passenger side. Several of the zombies marching forward stopped, curious to follow the noise. Erik turned toward the drive, attempting to exit. A few other zombies turned but the majority still moved toward the restaurant. Kali screamed. Erik noticed that a thin zombie had grasp her arm. Erik quickly pulled her in from the window but during that short time the Mustang pulled left into the group of undead. He hit one zombie and it quickly disappeared under the left front tire. A second smacked the driver’s open window hard spraying blood over Erik’s left arm. Erik seized up. He stared at the blood. For several seconds he feared catching the infection but the terror was interrupted by the sudden lack of movement forward. Unfortunately, the zombie he had run over caused an issue with traction.

“God damn it! Why can’t I ever do anything easily! Everything has to be such a damn chore.” “Close that window Kali,” he shouted as he also attempted to roll the window up. Erik had the window up most of the way when several hands thrust through. He rolled the window up till above his head two hand flapped like wings on a bird. Kali bat at several arms reaching at her. She had managed to roll it up only half way. Erik turned the wheel and put the Mustang in reverse. It moved slightly causing the zombies outside his window to trip and fall. He moved forward then back again and the Mustang moved a little further. Kali screamed and scooted toward him.

“Get in the back.” Erik shouted it while he tried again. The Mustang found some traction and jerked forward, thrust upward as it climbed upon the body then fell as the front wheel crushed the zombies head. The zombie hands flapped rapidly till their dead owners tripped and the muscles in their hands stretched and began to snap. Erik punched the gas pedal down and the Mustang moved again. He released the trapped hands and watched as the two zombies fell and disappeared beside the car. The Mustang pushed another zombie to the side and avoided another. A jagged path stood in front of Erik but it was a path. The guardian at the drive in would have to deal with the group that stumbled toward him. Erik hesitated to even wish him luck because he needed more then that to survive this horde.

“What about your grandmother’s house,” Erik asked as they leapt over the small white fence in the backyard. The zombies, stumbling across the yard, moved slowly. Their dead joints resisting every action. The two in the backyard were soon joined by a group of five meandering between the houses. The small fence would slow the zombie down but it won’t prevent them from trampling toward them. “The safe house is down the road,” the red-head shouted as she walked ahead with Kali. Erik followed slowly taking a drink.
I was midnight by the time the three reached the small brown safe house. The zombie still wandered but didn’t seem to be attracted to the group at night. Erik stumbled as walked. His whiskey soaked knees confused by what was up and what was down. Through muddled thoughts Erik thought about the failures that brought him here. The loss of his family hovered over him relentlessly but time had deadened the grief mostly. He struggled with loneliness outside the walls. He had lived in a rented garage next to a homeowner that felt sorry for him but that pity weighed on him. He believed, after the loss of his family, he was doomed to eternal grief and he didn’t do much too make anything good happen.
A sharp downward slope tripped up Erik and he fell forward. The bottle of whiskey flew forward as Erik disappeared into the high grasses. He rolled a few times ending up on his back staring upward into the night above.
“Kali,” Erik heard the red head say, “Your friend here is a worthless drunk. Not worth my time.”
“but he is worth mine,” Kali said as she stood beside him and offered a hand. Erik took it but Kali’s lack of weight and height made her assistance unhelpful. Erik sat, brushed off the dirt and grass and stood slowly.
“Let’s get into this safe house,” Erik said. His head cleared for a moment but then sank into the murky drunk haze.
The two-story brown safe house stood at the corner of Main and Broadway. Broadway was a former city artery. A teenage haunt with their parent’s cars screaming back and forth. The windows on the ground floor were boarded up. Not haphazardly, like in the movies but trimmed at the corners of the window frames. The front door stood above a set of concrete stairs. The red head stepped forward and knocked on the door. A small crash echoed through the quiet darkness outside. The door crepted open slowly. A large man began to appear as a single hair-covered leg, shorts that were oddly short, like a 1970 NBA player, and half of a torn t-shirt. Above the shirt a smile and then a “Welcome”, as the man opened the door the rest of the way.
“Rebecca, I’m so glad you made it back,” he said. “Your still wearing those shoes?”
Rebecca, the red head smiled broadly. “I told you.”
“K, fine you win.” The man at the door laughed loudly attracting attention from a pair of young zombies. “Anyways, name is Kurt and welcome to House 5. Let me get you inside before my obnoxious laugh gets you killed. Kurt laughed again.
Erik grumbled and the zombie shuffled forward. “Let’s go!”
Kurt closed the front door and locked it tight. The door was thick, borrowed wood reinforcedthe door.  Kurt turned the five deadbolts stacked along the open edge ofthe door.  Kurt then tested the door knob a final time. “Those two zombie will try to come in but the safe house will hold. It’s only when they attract a group that we have trouble but we have been through some rough storms since locking ourselves within thse walls.  It will hold.”

“I heard you ran into Harold within station 13. Unfortunately, we lost that station and Harold too. He has joined the dead within the street.”
“I’m sorry,” Erik said regretfully. “No, problem man. It’s a fact of life around here,” explained Kurt as he adjusted the basketbll shorts.  Erik’s gut ached as he thought about how he was the last to see Harold alive.

“Seriously, what’s the deal with the shorts. Your legs are attractive n all,” rik began.  “… to… Rachael… but I really don’t want to see them.”
“Rebecca, idiot,” Rebecca spat.
“You know, I’m getting tired of you insults,” rik replied.  Rebecca smiled slightl and turned.  She then disappeared into another room. Someone brushed up against Erik and it was Kali. “Thanks for standing up for me, when she insults me,” Erik said with a smile.
“You are an idiot,” Kali said with a smile.

“Thanks, a bunch,” Eriksmiled again.  “Where are you going to sleep
Erik slept through the night. The occasional bump in the night woke him quickly but the safe house kept them away. The next day arose and Kali woke Erik. His head swam and the whiskey had settled into his belly. “We have a meeting.”

“Meeting?” “What am I a girl scout?”
“Just come on,” Kali prodded.

The world slowed to a crawl as Eric ran from the Mustang to the house. He skipped the stairs all together and railroaded through the wooden front door. Kali stood fighting with a tall red-headed woman. The woman snarled as she avoided a wild swing and let Kali go. Kali attempted to run into the next room but the woman grabbed her quickly and held her tightly against her chest as Kali struggled. 

“Put her down!” Erik demanded but the woman ignored him. Erik stepped forward to intervene but the woman looked up at him and began to sing. The notes floated through his ears like a boat in the sea. It caused him to stumble backward, as if the seas were rough. He fought the urge to fall and pushed forward. The woman thrust her hand forward and stepped back with Kali slumping within her arms. Erik step forward again but then fell forward. The last thing he saw was five beautiful toes softly settled into a strapped heel as it stepped over his face. 

Erik woke several hours later as foot steps crept up behind him. He turned quickly to see a pair of zombies searching for dinner. 

The screams disappeared from behind them. The sicking guttural pleads mixed with drowning moans as they get eaten. The thought of the pain of trying to breath without a lung made Erik sick to his stomach. The red, oxygen rich blood staining the green grass along with a face full of teeth enjoying every bite. Erik stared out at the carnivorous grass land as the remaining criminals walked past him.

“Dude, want’s to join them,” said a tall black man. The man had a foreign accent. His skin was darker then the other men he walked with but they all seemed to know each other. The other two men laughed. Erik followed. Up ahead was a small yellowish Volkswagen Beetle. It sat next to the path, accessible to Erik without much risk. Erik walked up the the Beetle carefully. The windows were covered in dust and grime. Erik wiped off the window with his hand leaving a rainbow of darkness behind the window. He cupped his hands and placed his face on the window. He could barely see anything within the miniature car. Clothes lay on the passenger seat. A shirt possibly a jacket. He could see that this car was a manual, with its shifter standing proudly in the center of the car. Erik began to open the driver’s door and the little girl and her family walked up behind him. “You shouldn’t do that,” said the man and he watched. “If your so worried then why are you watching,” Erik snapped. Apparently, the man had a severe curiosity issue because he just stood behind Erik waiting. He daughter secured behind him. The wife stood farther away. Erik opened the door slowly. Stall air escaped into the late afternoon sunlight. Erik waited to open the door but after several seconds of silence he opened it the rest of the way. “What are you looking for,” said the girls father. “Anything useful,” Erik replied. He carefully entered the Beetle and rummaged through the jacket on the floor. It contained a wallet which Erik promptly checked for money. It contained a twenty, some change and an ID. “Matthew Summers, 25 years old,” Erik read then tossed the wallet after taking the twenty dollar bill. Behind the front seat was a bench seat with more clothes. Erik pulled the clothes to the side. Under the clothes sat a small body, mostly decomposed. Part of its little face hung from a plaid shirt that had covered it. Erik jumped backward and smacked the back of his head on the rear-view mirror and windshield. The three standing outside the Beetle almost fell over. “What the hell!” shouted the father. Erik held the back of his held and slowly stepped from the car. Blood covered his hands and the wound from the mirror pulsed. Someone quickly gave him a cloth of some time and he used it to stop the bleeding. “That was kinda stupid, you know,” said the father as he helped Erik steady himself. “You know your kind of annoying, right,” Erik snapped. “… but thanks for the bandage.” “No problem,” said the father as he quickly swiped the twenty from Erik’s pocket and placed it in his. The young girl growled quietly at her father as he looked down at her. He mouthed an apology and they moved forward helping Erik till he brushed them off of him. Erik and the others, no longer criminals but survivors, walked for a couple miles. No walking dead, no deadly grass and no surprises. The sun set near the top corner of the Delta-west bank building near the west-end of Ransom. A large asphalt patch took over from the grassland. Small patches of grass still appeared but the road ahead was littered with abandoned cars and small buildings nearly a half mile ahead. Erik’s head still throbbed but he still wanted to search the cars for something, anything. Weapons, food.. beer or alcohol. Something to straighten his head, something to feed his belly and something to kill these monsters within the walls.

The grass stood tall from Erik’s feet to the edge of the broken buildings that used to be Ransom. The field of grass was broken by metal domes that used to be cars. Weaving around the cars was a beaten down path of broken grass. The man that stood behind Erik stepped forward and began to follow the path. Several others followed as Erik stood and watched. Behind him stood the 12 foot stone wall and iron gate. Above the wall menacing black weapons stared down at the criminal group. They followed the group like creepy portraits. Erik noticed a mob of broken undead men walking toward the wall three hundred feet from the group. Several got within twenty-five feet of the wall causing the weapons above the wall the jerk toward them and begin to fire. The noise floored Erik and most of the others in the group. They stopped firing within seconds and Erik stood slowly. A pair of men panicked and ran toward the front gate. The weapons turned within seconds and Erik ran toward the others ahead of him. The weapon on the right was pointing right at him. It was again over in seconds and two of the 15 were dead.

Erik stood next to a small blond-headed girl. She was half buried in the grass. Next to her was an over-weight man and a thin women. In front of them was the old man followed by three black men who laughed amongst themselves. Several other men walked by themselves off to the right. Thirteen people, Erik thought, is that unlucky?

“Stay away from my daughter!” Shouted the overweight man. Erik stepped away and into the tall grass. He let them walk ahead as he glared at the man.

The group of criminals walked slowly through the tall grass. Erik stopped at each buried car hoping to find one with a set of keys in it. His hope was to find one and drive away before the evening sun disappeared behind the tall broken buildings. He had only heard of the monsters held within the wall. They were known man-eaters but what they looked like and why they pursued human flesh he didn’t know. The wall had been up for several years causing many outsiders to forget the details but a small red car sat within fifty feet of him and he headed for it. Outside the corner of his right eye Erik saw one of the men fall. It was followed by a scream of pain. Several of the other men that were in the vicinity raced toward him but stopped short. Another man screamed as he looked down and attempted to pull away from whatever was grabbing at him. Everyone that stood in the grass began to look downward, searching for danger. If nothing, they walked slowly toward the beaten down path. Erik found his curiosity regarding the red car gone. He stood safely within the path watching as the grass rustled and the other man struggled to stand. The other men raced to find something to protect them. A third man tripped and didn’t come back up.

“Let’s move forward,” said the old man. “We have to find some cover before nightfall.” The group of seven remaining on the path walked forward struggling to ignore the screams of the three men being attacked by whatever is within the grass. The sicking guttural pleads mixed with drowning moans as they get eaten. The thought of trying to breath without a lung made Erik sick to his stomach. The red, oxygen rich blood staining the green grass along with a face full of teeth enjoying every bite. Erik stared out at the carnivorous grass land as the remaining criminals walked past him.

“Dude, want’s to join them,” said a tall black man. The man had a foreign accent. His skin was darker then the other men but they all seemed to know each other. The other two men laughed. Erik followed. Up ahead was a small yellowish Volkswagen Beetle. It sat next to the path, accessible to Erik without much risk. Erik walked up the the Beetle carefully. The windows were covered in dust and grime. Erik wiped off the window with his hand leaving a rainbow of darkness behind the window. He cupped his hands and placed his face on the window. He could barely see anything within the miniature car. Clothes lay on the passenger seat. A shirt possibly a jacket. He could see that this car was a manual, with its shifter standing proudly in the center of the car. Erik began to open the driver’s door and the little girl and her family walked up behind him. “You shouldn’t do that,” said the man as he watched. “If your so worried then why are you watching,” Erik snapped. Apparently, the man had a severe curiosity issue because he just stood behind Erik waiting. His daughter secured behind him. The wife stood farther away. Erik opened the door slowly. Stall air escaped into the late afternoon sunlight. “What are you looking for,” said the girls father. “Anything useful,” Erik replied. He carefully entered the Beetle and rummaged through the jacket on the floor. It contained a wallet which Erik promptly checked for money. It contained a twenty, some change and an ID. “Matthew Summers, 25 years old,” Erik read then tossed the wallet after taking the twenty dollar bill. Behind the front seat was a bench seat with more clothes. Erik pulled the clothes to the side. Under the clothes sat a small body, mostly decomposed. Part of its little face hung from a plaid shirt that had covered it. Erik jumped backward and smacked the back of his head on the rear-view mirror and windshield. The three standing outside the Beetle almost fell over. “What the hell!” shouted the father. Erik held the back of his held and slowly stepped from the car. Blood covered his hands and the wound from the mirror pulsed. The father quickly gave him a cloth to stop the bleeding. “That was kinda stupid, you know,” said the father as he helped Erik steady himself. “You know your kind of annoying, right,” Erik snapped. “… but thanks for the bandage.” “No problem,” said the father as he quickly swiped the twenty from Erik’s pocket and placed it in his. The young girl growled quietly at her father as he looked down at her. He mouthed an apology and they moved forward helping Erik till he brushed them off of him. Erik and the others, no longer criminals but survivors, walked for a couple miles. No infected, no deadly grass and no surprises. The sun set near the top corner of the Delta-west bank building near the west-end of Ransom. A large asphalt patch took over from the grassland. Small patches of grass still appeared but the road ahead was littered with abandoned cars and small buildings nearly a half mile ahead. Erik’s head still throbbed but he still wanted to search the cars for something, anything. Weapons, food.. beer or alcohol. Something to straighten his head, something to feed his belly and something to kill these monsters within the walls.

Erik could feel his breath warm against his skin as he knelt in the gravel beside the wall. He listened quietly as other criminals begged and pleaded with the Ransom police force. Most times it was either ignored or returned with a swift push into the wall. The police had no more rules after the infection raced through the population. The infection killed 75% of all Americans leaving the remaining few desperate the fight for their lives. That desperation left a permanent mark on society even after the human race successfully contained the infection within the walls of selected cities. Ransom being one such city.

Somebody tugged Erik upward forcing him to stand. Something round was pushed against the back of his head. He could feel someone approach the side of his face. “Don’t even think about using your head to smash mine,” Pauly said in a malicious whisper. “I know what you did with your wife and child. Now you’ve finally given someone reason enough to sentence you to death.” The whisper seared into Erik’s head as angry boiled through his body. “I didn’t do anything to my wife and daughter, Pauly!”

“F_off, Erik. You sacrificed them.” Pauly pulled Erik backward then shoved him forward. Erik struggled to catch his feet under the darkness of the hood but someone caught him before he fell. Another sharp punch to the side caused pain to shoot up his left side.

Someone unlocked the handcuffs but twisted his wrist in a fashion that prevented any sudden movements. “Put your hands forward and grab the person a head of you.” Shouted Pauly. Erik did as he was told. He placed both palms on short, boney shoulders and squeezed. “It will be aright,” he said to the person a head of him.

“Don’t talk,” Pauly shouted. “Move forward!”

Erik moved forward as he heard the familiar click of many weapons loading. He then heard the gate slowly squawk as it was opened. He counted 52 steps forward till he felt the long grass from within the gate. Then 15 more till the gate squawked close. Erik began to remove his hood when the man behind him squeezed tightly upon his shoulders. Erik waited.

A minute later the man released his shoulder and Erik removed the hood. The grass below his feet rose to his knees.

Erik slid forward as the truck stopped at the entrance of the Zombie Wall. Erik woke up only minutes ago. His hands bound with metal cuffs and his head hurting. Erik sat up on the cold metal bed of the truck. Two men, dressed in wrinkled dress shirts and jeans, open the tailgate of the truck. Erik tried to stand as they grab his feet. “Come on, Erik!” said one of the men. “Don’t make this harder then it has to be.”

Erik recognized one of the men as an old school classmate. “Shut the hell up, Pauly. I can’t believe you are even involved in this lynching. We went to school together. Your a frick’n dick.”

Something hard hit the side of Erik’s face and he fell sideways. Someone grabbed his ankle and pulled him from the bed of the truck. Erik grabbed the tailgate but a quick blow to the kidney forced him to let go. He fell to the ground.

A couple pairs of legs shuffled past him in leg irons and then a third. The third pair of legs looked like they were from a young child. “What the hell!” Erik shouted as he stood abruptly knocking Pauly of his feet. “You are now punishing children!” “What the hell is this!” The other man grabbed Erik by the arm and twisted. The metal from the cuffs cut into his wrist and the muscles in his arms resisted. He was then shoved hard into the cold stone wall that protected outsiders from the monsters inside. Warm blood now flowed freely from the side of his head and nose. “Put a god damn blindfold on him,” Erik heard Pauly shout. With minutes they had thrown a dark bag over his head and kicked out his knees. He felt others kneeling at both sides of him. They were the criminals of Ransom and the punishment was banishment into the City of Zombies.

Erik could feel his breath warm against his skin as he knelt in the gravel beside the wall. He listened quietly as others begged and pleaded with the enforcers. Most times it was either ignored or returned with a swift push into the wall. The enforcers had no rules. Their curelty was unmatched but lately they found it easier to collect the unwanted or unwelcome and just shove them into the city of zombies.

Somebody tugged Erik upward forcing him to stand. Something round was pushed against the back of his head. He could feel someone approach the side of his face. “Don’t even think about using your head to smash mine,” Pauly said in a malicious whisper. “I know what you did with your wife and child. Now you’ve finally given someone reason enough to sentence you to death.” The whisper seared into Erik’s head as angry boiled through his body. “I didn’t do anything to my wife and daughter, Pauly!”

“F_off, Erik. You sacrificed them.” Pauly pulled Erik backward then shoved him forward. Erik struggled to catch his feet under the darkness of the hood but someone caught him before he fell. Another sharp punch to the side caused pain to shoot up his left side.

Someone unlocked the handcuffs but twisted his wrist in a fashion that prevented any sudden movements. “Put your hands forward and grab the person a head of you.” Shouted Pauly. Erik did as he was told. He placed both palms on short, boney shoulders and squeezed. “It will be aright,” he said to the person a head of him.

“Don’t talk,” Pauly shouted. “Move forward!”

Erik moved forward as he heard the familiar click of many weapons loading. He then heard the gate slowly squawk as it was opened. He counted 52 steps forward till he felt the long grass from within the gate. Then 15 more till the gate squawked close. Erik began to remove his hood when the man behind him squeezed tightly upon his shoulders. Erik waited.

A minute later the man released his shoulder and Erik removed the hood. The grass below his feet rose to his knees.

The first plywood wall fell several hours later. Erik had fallen asleep. The screams and gasps woke him. The large wooden section had broken in the center and the zombies had pushed it from the nails at the top. It laid over the small lobby upon a few chairs and a table. The zombies pushed. Trying to climb over the remaining plywood. The glass window and the jagged edges of the remaining plywood stopped them. The tall Haitian leapt over the front counter like an Olympic athlete with Christopher following with a broken growl on his face. Erik stood slowly, overtired watching.

“Grab the hammer and nails from the front office, Erik,” Christopher shouted. The front office was located on the right corner of the little restaurant. Erik stepped over several large pots and pans that had fallen on the floor. The Haitian and Christopher fought with the zombies attempting to will the lower part of the plywood over. Their long dead arms swung forward making the attempts to put the top part of the plywood very difficult. Christopher lost his grip on the plywood and it slipped. Immediately, a pair of hands grabbed his wrist and arm. Christopher struggled and Erik rushed into the small office. He grabbed the hammer and a large box of nails. He noticed, for a second, that a computer sat off to the side. It seemed to have power, which was unusual within the walls. Erik turned found a small entrance to the lobby and ran toward the front window. Christopher struggled with the zombie grip. Erik dropped the hammer and nails and pushed forward on the plywood. This freed up the Haitian to help Christopher free himself. The Haitian quickly found out after some hesitation that it was easier just to break the fingers of the zombies holding onto Christopher’s arm. Erik pushed the plywood forward. He hoped that it would divert their attention from Christopher.

The last zombie released it’s grip. It’s fingers all misaligned and unable to perform normally. Christopher fell backward and took several breaths. The Haitian pushed the plywood forward. Erik released his section tentatively grabbing at the hammer and box of nails. “I got this, brother,” said the Haitian, his voice think with accent. Erik let go of the plywood. He grabbed the hammer and several nails. The zombies managed to struggle through the left-side but the right side was secure in seconds. Erik slammed into the plywood near the broken seem four more nails. The Haitian struggled with a couple more attempts to push back the plywood but managed to secure it long enough for Erik to push in the remaining nails.

“Thank you, brother,” said the Haitian and offered his hand. “Your welcome.” Erik replied. They both helped Christopher up and then finished securing the plywood.

Erik sat. His back against the dusty steel grill. Eric stared out the drive-thru window. The pounding continued. After an hour it chilled the tiny hairs upon Erik’s neck every time one of the dead palms slapped the walls of the small restaurant. The most disturbing noises came when they moved from the back of the restaurant to the front. The front of the restaurant had large picture windows covered in plywood. They would be the most susceptible to a pounding zombie with eternal patience. The plywood shook with each meaty slap. Loud whispers from near him distracted Erik.

“Leslie, you need to calm down,” the husband said. The young mother paced back and forth. Her daughter sat watching her. Her little head moving back and forth. “This is not a safe building. They are going to come in. They are going to overwhelm us,” the mother repeated several times.

“Leslie!” Her husband shouted as his wife, Leslie covered her ears with her hands and screamed.

“Control your wife, man,” said Andrew from the back corner. “Shut the hell up!” Shouted the husband.

“You shut the hell up Steven!” Shouted Leslie. “This whole situation is your fault. Your god damn idea to find a damn magic rock.” Steven stood quickly and grabbed Leslie by the face. He whispered something and she pushed him backward. Steven fell backward and tipped over a rack that used to hold sandwich ingredients. It crashed loudly against other equipment behind it. This caused the banging to increase. Christopher raced into the kitchen from an office in the front of the building. He screamed about breaking rules and making noise. He seemed to come unhinged. The funny man sat everyone down in a line. The change in mood was frightening. He paced the stainless steel hallway with a rifle in his hand. It now felt more like a hostage situation then a rescue. Erik tuned it out, like he used to when his was in the US Army. He watched the drive-thru window and the undead bald man that banged on the hinged doors. The doors shook, braced by a wooden broom handle. The wood will not hold for long.

It was dark inside Station One. Christopher closed the door and locked it. Inside the darkness of the small Burger Place the group stood. Christopher fought his way through the group. He was a large man, he stood shorter then the large Haitian. He was overweight, which made Erik hopeful that there was food. The restaurant equipment stood quietly, in its stainless steel skin, dusty and unused. Upon the abandoned grills sat cardboard boxes, sealed with tape. The outside of the boxes contained old black logos from times past.

“Welcome,” Christopher said as he passed in front of the group. “This is the first station in a human survival network. It’s designed to help you folks work through the dangers within the walls. Unfortunately, it’s not a cure all. Most of you will die before you reach the first survivor hotel. Sorry.” He then walked over to the grill and grabbed a box. He turned and gave the box to Andrew, who passed it to his buddy. Next box went to Andrew, then to the Haitian. The family members each got a box and Erik received his last. He placed the box on a stainless steel table and began to open it. Within the box a handgun sat in the center. Under the weapon was a Hawaiian shirt and a pair of jeans that were too small. Also within the box was several candy bars and canned goods. A few had tabs to pull open the can. Erik pulled out the shirt. “What is this?” He said with angst.

Christopher laughed, “Winner!” The laughter was short-lived within seconds several meaty hands pounded on the walls. The back door rattled. Erik jumped, dropped the Hawaiian shirt and grabbed the gun within the box.

“Everyone move!” Christopher directed everyone to within the grill area. He then grabbed the large stainless steel table and pushed it in front of the door. “This old place has seen many storms,” Christopher said confidently. “You will be alright.”

The first plywood wall fell several hours later. Erik had fallen asleep. The screams and gasps woke him. A large wooden section had broken near the center window. The infected had pushed the plywood and lumber from the nails at the top. It laid over the small lobby upon a few chairs and a table. The infected tried to climb over the remaining plywood. The remaining glass from the window and jagged edges of the plywood slowed them down. The tall Haitian was first to react and leapt over the front counter. Christopher followed, his large frame easily making it over the waist-high counter. Erik stood and watched.

“Grab the hammer and nails from the front office, Erik,” Christopher shouted as they pushed the plywood back up to cover the window.

The front office was located on the right corner of the little restaurant. Erik stepped over several large pots and pans that had fallen on the floor. The Haitian and Christopher fought the infected attempting to will the lower part of the plywood that was still intact. Their long dead arms swung forward making attempts to replace the plywood very difficult. Christopher lost his grip on the plywood and it slipped. Immediately, a pair of hands grabbed his wrist and arm. Christopher struggled. Erik jumped. He rushed into the small office and grabbed the hammer and a large box of nails. He noticed, for a second. Erik turned found a small entrance to the lobby and ran toward the front window. Christopher fought with the infected as others joined. Erik swung the hammer and broke the infected grip just behind the wrist. The bone snapped easily. The infected woman attempted to tighten her grip but the hand was unable to do so. Christopher pulled his arm from her grip and Erik pushed forward on the plywood. The Haitian shoved the remaining hands and arms out of the window and all three men pushed. Erik released his section tentatively grabbing at the hammer and box of nails. “I got this, brother,” said the Haitian, his voice think with accent. Erik let go of the plywood. He grabbed the hammer and several nails. The infected managed to struggle through the left-side but the right side was secure in seconds. Erik slammed into the plywood near the broken seam and hammered in four more nails. The Haitian struggled with a couple more attempts to push back the plywood but managed to secure it long enough for Erik to push in the remaining nails.

“Thank you, brother,” said the Haitian and offered his hand. “Your welcome.” Erik replied.It was dark inside Station One. Christopher closed the door and locked it. Inside the darkness of the small Burger Place the group stood. Christopher fought his way through the group. He was a large man, he stood shorter then the large Haitian. He was overweight, which made Erik hopeful that there was food. The restaurant equipment stood quietly, in its stainless steel skin, dusty and unused. Upon the abandoned grills sat cardboard boxes, sealed with tape. The outside of the boxes contained old black logos from times past.

“Welcome,” Christopher said as he passed in front of the group. “This is the first station in a human survival network. It’s designed to help you folks work through the dangers within the walls. Unfortunately, it’s not a cure all. Most of you will die before you reach the first survivor hotel. Sorry.” He then walked over to the grill and grabbed a box. He turned and gave the box to Andrew, who passed it to his buddy. Next box went to Andrew, then to the Haitian. The family members each got a box and Erik received his last. He placed the box on a stainless steel table and began to open it. Within the box a handgun sat in the center. Under the weapon was a Hawaiian shirt and a pair of jeans that were too small. Also within the box was several candy bars and canned goods. A few had tabs to pull open the can. Erik pulled out the shirt. “What is this?” He said with angst.

Christopher laughed, “Winner!” The laughter was short-lived within seconds several meaty hands pounded on the walls. The back door rattled. Erik jumped, dropped the Hawaiian shirt and grabbed the gun within the box.

“Everyone move!” Christopher directed everyone to within the grill area. He then grabbed the large stainless steel table and pushed it in front of the door. “This old place has seen many storms,” Christopher said confidently. “You will be alright.”

The first plywood wall fell several hours later. Erik had fallen asleep. The screams and gasps woke him. A large wooden section had broken near the center window. The infected had pushed the plywood and lumber from the nails at the top. It laid over the small lobby upon a few chairs and a table. The infected tried to climb over the remaining plywood. The remaining glass from the window and jagged edges of the plywood slowed them down. The tall Haitian was first to react and leapt over the front counter. Christopher followed, his large frame easily making it over the waist-high counter. Erik stood and watched.

“Grab the hammer and nails from the front office, Erik,” Christopher shouted as they pushed the plywood back up to cover the window.

The front office was located on the right corner of the little restaurant. Erik stepped over several large pots and pans that had fallen on the floor. The Haitian and Christopher fought the infected attempting to will the lower part of the plywood that was still intact. Their long dead arms swung forward making attempts to replace the plywood very difficult. Christopher lost his grip on the plywood and it slipped. Immediately, a pair of hands grabbed his wrist and arm. Christopher struggled. Erik jumped. He rushed into the small office and grabbed the hammer and a large box of nails. He noticed, for a second. Erik turned found a small entrance to the lobby and ran toward the front window. Christopher fought with the infected as others joined. Erik swung the hammer and broke the infected grip just behind the wrist. The bone snapped easily. The infected woman attempted to tighten her grip but the hand was unable to do so. Christopher pulled his arm from her grip and Erik pushed forward on the plywood. The Haitian shoved the remaining hands and arms out of the window and all three men pushed. Erik released his section tentatively grabbing at the hammer and box of nails. “I got this, brother,” said the Haitian, his voice think with accent. Erik let go of the plywood. He grabbed the hammer and several nails. The infected managed to struggle through the left-side but the right side was secure in seconds. Erik slammed into the plywood near the broken seam and hammered in four more nails. The Haitian struggled with a couple more attempts to push back the plywood but managed to secure it long enough for Erik to push in the remaining nails.

“Thank you, brother,” said the Haitian and offered his hand. “Your welcome.” Erik replied.
The darkness began to overwhelm the sky as the sun disappeared. Grunts echoed through the grass. The noise of the undead was unnerving. They should of been crickets or some other normal noises. Anxiety moved the group forward as they walked toward the old restaurant. The Burger Place sign stood outside two large windows. The windows were covered by plywood. The sign spelled out the restaurant name with a large letter B at the peak of the roof. The other letters followed downward till the E sat about eight-foot from the ground. The building, which Erik thought leaned seemed a little straighter as he and the group approached. Asphalt surrounded the small building. It was sprinkled with the tall grass. “This is a stupid idea,” said the little blonde girl. It was an interruption that surprised Erik and the surrounding adults. “Kali, don’t be disrespectful,” said her mother. “It’s not the smartest idea,” Erik replied. Kali’s mother frowned. “… but it’s really the only choice we have. The zombies will surround us in minutes in the dark and they will take us down faster then that.”

The tall Haitian and his friends reached the restaurant first and began banging on the plywood windows screaming “Hello!”. Erik and the family approached cautiously. Erik wandered off to the right as Kali and the family stayed put. Erik searched for a door or some entrance. Toward the back of the small building Erik began to hear the shuffling of many feet. He looked outward and noticed many shadows stumbling toward the building. The light from the sun was almost completely gone but the moon allowed Erik to identify the approaching mob. He moved quietly and quickly behind the building searching for something to pull on but the only door was locked securely. They would have to break in, he thought till he heard a burst of laughter from someone unfamiliar. Erik walked from the back of the building toward the other side. With one eye he watched the shadows multiply as they stepped forward. With the other he saw a drive thru window. Within the window was another shadow but this form was animated. He seemed to be talking to the group of black men.

Erik approached the window with anxiety building. The man within the window seemed too jovial for this dire situation. He seemed to be unbothered by the approaching danger.

“We have zombies approaching, if anyone cares!” Erik shouted as he spotted the family appear from the front of the building.

“Damnit, dude you need to shut the hell up and help us out here?” Said one of the black men. The man smiled, which infuriated the group. “Andrew, is it?” The man asked calmly. “Don’t worry about it. The stupid creatures are stuck behind a fence. You get several moments before they figure out they can walk around it.”

“They can WALK around it!” Andrew shouted. He removed a baseball cap and wiped his forehead.

“So what the hell you doing here all alone,” Erik said loudly.

“Oh, yah you were not here when I explained this situation. My name is Christopher.” The man stepped back from the window and stuck out his hand. “I’m not interested in shaking your hand,” Erik replied but Christopher just shook his hand up and down like it was blowing up and down in a breeze. Erik looked back at the shadow zombie hoard and they seemed to be closer even though Christopher wasn’t worried. “There is no fence back there!”

Christopher was quiet and his hand was still waiting to receive a handshake. “Are you a freak’n idiot?” Erik shouted.

“Just shake his F_n’k hand asshole,” Andrew shouted as he adjusted the cap on his head. “Hell,” Erik muttered and walked forward. He took Christopher’s meaty palm and shook it. Suddenly, Christopher’s grip increased and Erik’s hand disappeared into the fast food window. A large bearded face appeared. His eyes were wide and angry. Large sleepless sacks of skin hung under his eyes. “Welcome, to Station 1. We have a specific set of rules if you want to enter this safe house.” Christopher’s grip increased as Erik struggled to force its release. “Rule number one, you will be polite at all times! Or I with crush your soul with my two hands! Rule number two, My rules are to be followed at all times and you will stay alive. Rule three, you better get into this building or you will not be able to follow my rules.” Christopher laughed hard and released Erik’s hand. Erik pulled back from the window and stared hard into the darkness behind the glass.

Christopher shouted from the back of the building, “Rule four! Get the hell in here. I lied about the fence.”

The darkness began to overwhelm the sky as the sun disappeared. Grunts echoed through the grass. The noise of the undead was unnerving. They should of been crickets or some other normal noises. Anxiety moved the group forward as they walked toward the old restaurant. The Burger Place sign stood outside two large windows. The windows were covered by plywood. The sign spelled out the restaurant name with a large letter B at the peak of the roof. The other letters followed downward till the E sat about eight-foot from the ground. The building, which Erik thought leaned seemed a little straighter as he and the group approached. Asphalt surrounded the small building. It was sprinkled with the tall grass. “This is a stupid idea,” said the little blonde girl. It was an interruption that surprised Erik and the surrounding adults. “Kali, don’t be disrespectful,” said her mother. “It’s not the smartest idea,” Erik replied. Kali’s mother frowned. “… but it’s really the only choice we have. The zombies will surround us in minutes in the dark and they will take us down faster then that.”

The tall Haitian and his friends reached the restaurant first and began banging on the plywood windows screaming “Hello!”. Erik and the family approached cautiously. Erik wandered off to the right as Kali and the family stayed put. Erik searched for a door or some entrance. Toward the back of the small building Erik began to hear the shuffling of many feet. He looked outward and noticed many shadows stumbling toward the building. The light from the sun was almost completely gone but the moon allowed Erik to identify the approaching mob. He moved quietly and quickly behind the building searching for something to pull on but the only door was locked securely. They would have to break in, he thought till he heard a burst of laughter from someone unfamiliar. Erik walked from the back of the building toward the other side. With one eye he watched the shadows multiply as they stepped forward. With the other he saw a drive thru window. Within the window was another shadow but this form was animated. He seemed to be talking to the group of black men.

Erik approached the window with anxiety building. The man within the window seemed too jovial for this dire situation. He seemed to be unbothered by the approaching danger.

“We have zombies approaching, if anyone cares!” Erik shouted as he spotted the family appear from the front of the building.

“Damnit, dude you need to shut the hell up and help us out here?” Said one of the black men. The man smiled, which infuriated the group. “Andrew, is it?” The man asked calmly. “Don’t worry about it. The stupid creatures are stuck behind a fence. You get several moments before they figure out they can walk around it.”

“They can WALK around it!” Andrew shouted. He removed a baseball cap and wiped his forehead.

“So what the hell you doing here all alone,” Erik said loudly.

“Oh, yah you were not here when I explained this situation. My name is Christopher.” The man stepped back from the window and stuck out his hand. “I’m not interested in shaking your hand,” Erik replied but Christopher just shook his hand up and down like it was blowing up and down in a breeze. Erik looked back at the shadow zombie hoard and they seemed to be closer even though Christopher wasn’t worried. “There is no fence back there!”

Christopher was quiet and his hand was still waiting to receive a handshake. “Are you a freak’n idiot?” Erik shouted.

“Just shake his F_n’k hand asshole,” Andrew shouted as he adjusted the cap on his head. “Hell,” Erik muttered and walked forward. He took Christopher’s meaty palm and shook it. Suddenly, Christopher’s grip increased and Erik’s hand disappeared into the fast food window. A large bearded face appeared. His eyes were wide and angry. Large sleepless sacks of skin hung under his eyes. “Welcome, to Station 1. We have a specific set of rules if you want to enter this safe house.” Christopher’s grip increased as Erik struggled to force its release. “Rule number one, you will be polite at all times! Or I with crush your soul with my two hands! Rule number two, My rules are to be followed at all times and you will stay alive. Rule three, you better get into this building or you will not be able to follow my rules.” Christopher laughed hard and released Erik’s hand. Erik pulled back from the window and stared hard into the darkness behind the glass.

Christopher shouted from the back of the building, “Rule four! Get the hell in here. I lied about the fence.”

Burger Place stood on the left fifty feet ahead of the closest survivor. A small building within the tall weeds. Weeds grew from the roof, making it look like a flat grassy ledge with small aluminum pipes jutting from it. The sides of the building were in bad shape with small planks falling forward slightly. The whole building seemed to lean toward them. It wasn’t the greatest plan to bunk in the old Burger Place restaurant but the sun had almost fallen into the horizon. It’s final moments marked by splashes of yellow, red and orange.

Erik could hear the shuffling of feet all around him. Not just from the survivors. The taller black man, a Haitian, and his friends walked faster then the family ahead of Erik and him. They seemed to enjoy talking about their exploits outside the walls. After the infection the government seemed to wait a long time before finally cracking down on the infected. For years they battled the infected destoying cities full of survivors and spreading the infection. After several unsuccesfull years of war against the infected they began the Collect and Detain the infected. The Federal government fell apart due to the mismanagement and the constant pressure of revolts and anarchy. American’s lost more family to the war then to the infection. After the government fell the final time cities began to develop their own police force and their own rules. Some were better then others but Ransom was run by the Roberts family. It was a monarchy dressed in American cowboy antics and cronyism. “All wonderful qualities that did nothing but promote happiness”, Erik thought sarcastically as he passed another small Volkswagen Beetle. Erik had managed to find a baseball bat within the cars he searched but no food as of yet.

The darkness began to overwhelm the sky as the survivor’s approached the abandoned Burger Place. Grunts echoed through the grass. The noise of the undead was unnerving. They should of been crickets or some other normal noises. Anxiety moved the group forward as they walked toward the old restaurant. The Burger Place sign stood outside two large windows. The windows were covered by plywood. The sign spelled out the restaurant name with a large letter B at the peak of the roof. The other letters followed downward till the E sat about eight-foot from the ground. The building seemed a little straighter as he and the group approached. Asphalt surrounded the small building. It was sprinkled with the tall grass. “This is a stupid idea,” said the little blonde girl. It was an interruption that surprised Erik and the surrounding adults. “Kali, don’t be disrespectful,” said her mother. “It’s not the smartest idea,” Erik replied. Kali’s mother frowned. “… but it’s really the only choice we have. The infected will surround us in minutes in the dark and they will take us down faster then that.”

The tall Haitian and his friends reached the restaurant first and began banging on the plywood windows screaming “Hello!”. Erik and the family approached cautiously. Erik wandered off to the right as Kali and the family stayed put. Erik searched for a door or some entrance. Toward the back of the small building Erik began to hear the shuffling of many feet. He looked outward and noticed many shadows stumbling toward the building. The light from the sun was almost completely gone but the moon allowed Erik to identify the approaching mob. He moved quietly and quickly behind the building searching for something to pull on but the only door was locked securely. They would have to break in, he thought till he heard a burst of laughter from someone unfamiliar. Erik walked from the back of the building toward the other side. With one eye he watched the shadows multiply as they stepped forward. With the other he saw a drive thru window. Within the window was another shadow but this form was animated. He seemed to be talking to the group of black men.

Erik approached the window with anxiety building. The man within the window seemed too jovial for this dire situation. He seemed to be unbothered by the approaching danger.

“We have zombies approaching, if anyone cares!” Erik shouted as he spotted the family appear from the front of the building.

“Damnit, dude you need to shut the hell up and help us out here?” Said one of the black men. The man smiled, which infuriated the group. “Andrew, is it?” The man asked calmly. “Don’t worry about it. The stupid creatures are stuck behind a fence. You get several moments before they figure out they can walk around it.”

“They can WALK around it!” Andrew shouted. He removed a baseball cap and wiped his forehead.

“So what the hell you doing here all alone,” Erik said loudly.

“Oh, yah you were not here when I explained this situation. My name is Christopher.” The man stepped back from the window and stuck out his hand. “I’m not interested in shaking your hand,” Erik replied but Christopher just shook his hand up and down like it was blowing up and down in a breeze. Erik looked back at the shadow hoard and they seemed to be closer even though Christopher wasn’t worried. “There is no fence back there!”

Christopher was quiet and his hand was still waiting to receive a handshake. “Are you a freak’n idiot?” Erik shouted.

“Just shake his F_n’k hand asshole,” Andrew shouted as he adjusted the cap on his head. “Hell,” Erik muttered and walked forward. He took Christopher’s meaty palm and shook it. Suddenly, Christopher’s grip increased and Erik’s hand disappeared into the fast food window. A large bearded face appeared. His eyes were wide and angry. Large sleepless sacks of skin hung under his eyes. “Welcome, to Station 1. We have a specific set of rules if you want to enter this safe house.” Christopher’s grip increased as Erik struggled to force its release. “Rule number one, you will be polite at all times! Or I with crush your soul with my two hands! Rule number two, My rules are to be followed at all times and you will stay alive. Rule three, you better get into this building or you will not be able to follow my rules.” Christopher laughed hard and released Erik’s hand. Erik pulled back from the window and stared hard into the darkness behind the glass.

Christopher shouted from the back of the building, “Rule four! Get the hell in here. I lied about the fence.”

Burger Place stood on the left fifty feet ahead of the closest survivor. A small building within the tall weeds. Weeds grew from the roof, making it look like a flat grassy ledge with small aluminum pipes jutting from it. The sides of the building were in bad shape with small planks falling forward slightly. The whole building seemed to lean toward them. It wasn’t the greatest plan to bunk in the old Burger Place restaurant but the sun had almost fallen into the horizon. It’s final moments marked by splashes of yellow, red and orange.

Erik could hear the shuffling of feet all around him. Not just from the survivors. The taller black man, a Haitian, and his friends walked faster then the family ahead of Erik and him. They seemed to enjoy talking about their exploits outside the walls. After the infection the government seemed to wait a long time before finally cracking down on the infected. For years they battled the infected destoying cities full of survivors and spreading the infection. After several unsuccesfull years of war against the infected they began the Collect and Detain the infected. The Federal government fell apart due to the mismanagement and the constant pressure of revolts and anarchy. American’s lost more family to the war then to the infection. After the government fell the final time cities began to develop their own police force and their own rules. Some were better then others but Ransom was run by the Roberts family. It was a monarchy dressed in American cowboy antics and cronyism. “All wonderful qualities that did nothing but promote happiness”, Erik thought sarcastically as he passed another small Volkswagen Beetle. Erik had managed to find a baseball bat within the cars he searched but no food as of yet.

The darkness began to overwhelm the sky as the survivor’s approached the abandoned Burger Place. Grunts echoed through the grass. The noise of the undead was unnerving. They should of been crickets or some other normal noises. Anxiety moved the group forward as they walked toward the old restaurant. The Burger Place sign stood outside two large windows. The windows were covered by plywood. The sign spelled out the restaurant name with a large letter B at the peak of the roof. The other letters followed downward till the E sat about eight-foot from the ground. The building seemed a little straighter as he and the group approached. Asphalt surrounded the small building. It was sprinkled with the tall grass. “This is a stupid idea,” said the little blonde girl. It was an interruption that surprised Erik and the surrounding adults. “Kali, don’t be disrespectful,” said her mother. “It’s not the smartest idea,” Erik replied. Kali’s mother frowned. “… but it’s really the only choice we have. The infected will surround us in minutes in the dark and they will take us down faster then that.”

The tall Haitian and his friends reached the restaurant first and began banging on the plywood windows screaming “Hello!”. Erik and the family approached cautiously. Erik wandered off to the right as Kali and the family stayed put. Erik searched for a door or some entrance. Toward the back of the small building Erik began to hear the shuffling of many feet. He looked outward and noticed many shadows stumbling toward the building. The light from the sun was almost completely gone but the moon allowed Erik to identify the approaching mob. He moved quietly and quickly behind the building searching for something to pull on but the only door was locked securely. They would have to break in, he thought till he heard a burst of laughter from someone unfamiliar. Erik walked from the back of the building toward the other side. With one eye he watched the shadows multiply as they stepped forward. With the other he saw a drive thru window. Within the window was another shadow but this form was animated. He seemed to be talking to the group of black men.

Erik approached the window with anxiety building. The man within the window seemed too jovial for this dire situation. He seemed to be unbothered by the approaching danger.

“We have zombies approaching, if anyone cares!” Erik shouted as he spotted the family appear from the front of the building.

“Damnit, dude you need to shut the hell up and help us out here?” Said one of the black men. The man smiled, which infuriated the group. “Andrew, is it?” The man asked calmly. “Don’t worry about it. The stupid creatures are stuck behind a fence. You get several moments before they figure out they can walk around it.”

“They can WALK around it!” Andrew shouted. He removed a baseball cap and wiped his forehead.

“So what the hell you doing here all alone,” Erik said loudly.

“Oh, yah you were not here when I explained this situation. My name is Christopher.” The man stepped back from the window and stuck out his hand. “I’m not interested in shaking your hand,” Erik replied but Christopher just shook his hand up and down like it was blowing up and down in a breeze. Erik looked back at the shadow hoard and they seemed to be closer even though Christopher wasn’t worried. “There is no fence back there!”

Christopher was quiet and his hand was still waiting to receive a handshake. “Are you a freak’n idiot?” Erik shouted.

“Just shake his F_n’k hand asshole,” Andrew shouted as he adjusted the cap on his head. “Hell,” Erik muttered and walked forward. He took Christopher’s meaty palm and shook it. Suddenly, Christopher’s grip increased and Erik’s hand disappeared into the fast food window. A large bearded face appeared. His eyes were wide and angry. Large sleepless sacks of skin hung under his eyes. “Welcome, to Station 1. We have a specific set of rules if you want to enter this safe house.” Christopher’s grip increased as Erik struggled to force its release. “Rule number one, you will be polite at all times! Or I with crush your soul with my two hands! Rule number two, My rules are to be followed at all times and you will stay alive. Rule three, you better get into this building or you will not be able to follow my rules.” Christopher laughed hard and released Erik’s hand. Erik pulled back from the window and stared hard into the darkness behind the glass.

Christopher shouted from the back of the building, “Rule four! Get the hell in here. I lied about the fence.”

The commotion with Sean attracted the zombies banging on the front of the restaurant. They stumbled slowly toward the noise as Sean stood. The muscles in the side of his neck were tore which caused his head to lean. He growled and clicked his teeth as if exercising them for first use. His eyes partially bleached by the cancerous parasite overwhelming his body. Sean stepped forward. Andrew hesitated a half-second then stepped to the side. Sean, blind like the rest of the zombies, walked forward listening for his first meal. Andrew stepped hard onto the concrete and Sean turned. He leapt toward Andrew missing by inches. Andrew dodged and stepped back. He watched Erik and the Haitian standing, watching. Sean listened for movement and lunged again toward Andrew. He was uncommonly aggressive and lunged again grabbing hold of Andrew’s baggy shirt. Andrew jerked and ran toward the fence along the back of the restaurant. The other zombies passed the rear corner of the building. There were ten near the front with several more straggling behind. The steel fence would not hold all these undead for a second. Sean followed Andrew’s footsteps but fortunately was unable to run upon dead knees. He stayed within steps of Andrew and a good leap was all he needed to free himself from death but he stumbled. Andrew fell into the steel fence and immediately tried to crawl under. The Haitian and Erik attempted to tug him but Sean grabbed him. Andrew kicked but Sean no longer felt pain. The parasite took that from him. With every pull Sean grabbed tighter till he could hold Andrew long enough to bite him.

Sean tore easily through the blue denim and into the large muscle in the back of Andrew’s leg. Andrew screamed. The Haitian just stopped pulling and released Andrew. Erik followed reluctantly but they both knew Andrew was gone. A single shot to the back of the head would end the struggle but it would also start a riot of undead. Most of the zombies had no idea they were still there.

Erik and the Haitian stepped back as the mob of undead began to feed on Andrew. Andrew reached forward, desperate, but they could not help. Soon the blood loss was too much and he lost consciousness.

“We have to go, man,” Erik said as kindly as possible.

“I know,” the Haitian replied. “Allow me a moment of prayer, please.”

Erik agreed and stood silently as the Haitian prayed. The zombies feasted like sharks to bait all the while rubbing dangerously close to the men. Their sense of smell misdirected.

Ahead, crashing through the back door of the restaurant, Christopher appeared and stood behind the undead horde. His face was thin, his jaw and chin stretched downward and his eyes were dark. Upon his back rose a pair of blood-stained wings. The wings stood two feet over his head folded away from him. He screamed. The sound echoed through the crowd of zombies.

The Haitian and Erik froze unable to move. The only escape was to run but the nearest cover was 50 feet away.

Andrew stood quietly thinking. Erik stepped to the side, away from the handgun. He watched carefully unsure what Andrew may do.

 “Brother, what are you think’n,” said the Haitian as he stepped out of the office. Andrew stood still till he began to lift the handgun bending at the elbow. He carefully placed the gun at his temple. His face did not move. He held himself to the mission but the muscles around his eyes began to twitch. Within the small brown irises Andrew began to recall his childhood, his brother and his family. Hope drained but the will to live surfaced at the edges.

 “Andrew, brother,” said the Haitian, “put the gun down. You got to listen to me.” The tall man paused. “Remember Columbus,” he asked.

 Andrew’s face softened slightly. “Remember Sean tripped over that flower pot and nearly broken your left leg? Your memories with your family. They will be gone.”

 The Haitian carefully placed his large hand on Andrew’s arm. “Brother, if you end it now my memories of you will end.”

 Andrew struggled with himself quietly. The handgun began to shake as he ran through the pros and cons of a world within the walls of the City of Zombies.

 ————

 The tense stand-off lasted a monumental 5 minutes but felt like hours. Andrew put the gun away and demanded a burial for his brother. Erik reluctantly agreed. The Haitian was all for it no matter the cost. It was decided Sean would be buried behind the restaurant. There was a grassy patch behind the concrete parking lot. Erik found a small tarp and a shovel. They carefully placed Sean within the tarp. Erik struggled to avoid making a mess of his own while they carried the unsecure cargo toward the back door. The large rear door was partially open. Erik stood with his back to the door. He placed the tarp down spilling blood upon the floor. He trembled quietly contemplating the thoughts of touching anything dead. The unconscious views that it was contagious and unnatural. Unaware of the irony that the dead potentially walked just outside 2 inches of steel ready to spread the contagion.

Erik had found a leather holster for the hand gun Chris had given them all. The ammunition had been hidden within dry storage. Erik pulled the hand gun from the holster, checked for ammunition and pointed it toward the partially opened door. With his foot he pushed the door outward. The handgun shook. Erik did not have the muscle memory to hold the weapon securely but the rear parking lot was empty. Behind him and near the front of the restaurant Erik could hear the banging of undead against the windows. The undead would be unaware as long as they didn’t call attention to themselves.

“Let’s go, quickly,” Erik said. “We should be able to make it across the parking lot and over the small steel fence before they notice.”

Erik turned and stepped into the pool of blood. He pulled his foot up, in disgust, but slowly placed it back down. He sucked in a large breath and picked up Sean’s body.

The body resisted as it attempted to roll left then right. The Haitian and Andrew held a corner of the tarp revealing the fading black pigment of Sean’s legs and arms. Erik held Sean’s head within the tarp. He covered as much as he could attempting to avoid the sight but the vision was already burn into his memory. Erik alternatively watched behind him and forward as he slowly walked backward. The zombies milled around the front of the restaurant unaware of the escape out the back.

Sean began to get heavy. The parking lot seemed to be mocking Erik as it seemed to get longer. Erik looked at the Haitian and he seemed to be handling the load fine. Andrew stared through Erik but the point was clear that he better hold up his end. Finally the steel fence was less than 5 feet away when Sean suddenly jerked. Erik initially thought it was one of the other men jerking the tarp be he watched them when it happened a second time.

“We need to hurry!” Erik said. He knew exactly what was happening and had no time to get pissed at himself for not thinking about it before. Sean had woken and was no longer part of the living.

Andrew’s dark skin went pale as he quickly realized the situation. Erik pulled the tarp toward him attempting to move over to the fence. Sean’s legs had been spread eagle but suddenly closed and began to bent at the knees. Erik grabbed the tarp tighter and pulled. The Haitian shuffled uncomfortably but Andrew was frozen in place. The tarp was pulled from his grasp leaving the tarp to fall to the ground. Erik, unable to hold any longer, lost his grip. Sean fell with a thump into the concrete. The tarp fell open revealing the pale eyes of the undead. Sean growled, which took Erik by surprise, and his legs buckled underneath him. He fell backward. The Haitian lifted the tarp which caused Sean to roll sideways. He then threw his section over Sean and walked quickly over to the fence. The fence was tall enough to be easily vaulted over but difficult for the undead to pass. Andrew walked slowly watching his brothers return. The Haitian knew immediately what the outcome would quickly be. Andrew, consumed by grief, would soon become consumed by his brother.

Christopher’s face had morphed to fit his teeth. The two eye teeth had grown over his clenched lower lip. The sides of his large face shrank and clung to the muscular jaw beneath it. Christopher had picked up the Hawaiian shirt and wore it. It was currently tight against his chest and something under the back of his shirt grew. Christopher bent forward and screamed. The noise echoed loudly through the small building. He suddenly rushed forward toward Sean and Erik. They separated and leapt over fallen tables and chairs. Christopher slowed and leaned against the plywood. He continued to scream as his shirt tightened.

Kali wandered, sleepy-eyed, out into the kitchen. The survivors stood still behind the counter watching Christopher transform. Christopher had ripped the shirt from his overweight body. His pale belly hung over his waist but the large appendages growing from the back of his shoulders tugged at the base of the growth and any other extra material available. Andrew was crouched and sobbing. He stood just outside the sticky pool of blood under his brother. Sean stared up and back toward the rear of the restaurant. His throat covered in blood and his eyes pale and lifeless. Andrew stood, looked back at the survivors for a flash of a second and tore toward Christopher. Christopher was barely standing. The audible pain from his throat indicated he was in an immense amount of pain. He didn’t feel Andrew approach until the angry black man grabbed the four foot long stumps growing out of Christopher’s back. Christopher screamed. The audible expression of hurt showered the walls inside the Burger Place.

The walls began to pound again as the zombies returned. Kali’s mother, Leslie, screamed leaving Erik weak at the knees. He braced himself upon the drive-thru window only to be grabbed violently. Erik pulled his hand free of a young zombie in a torn dress. The drive-thru window was open wide and she tried her best to slide into the small rectangular window. He beat her head with his hands avoiding the dangerous jaws but it was ineffective. Leslie bolted for the back door with Steven following close behind. Erik watched the two struggle. Steven tried to keep the door closed and Leslie tried to open it.

The front of the restaurant erupted into gun fire which forced every one of the survivors to duck under cover. Erik slid under the drive-thru. The zombie still reaching forward. The family, Kali, Steven and Leslie disappeared from view. Erik searched for his own gun and realized he left it in the goodie box Christopher had left for them. The gunfire paused for several seconds then two more shots. Somebody fell and it was over. Christopher stopped screaming. Erik stayed under the drive-thru. The zombie had managed to squeeze herself into the window far enough to bend her elbows downward. Her feminine hands groping for anything.

Andrew walked slowly around the front counter. Gave his brother’s body a respectful gaze and fired a shot killing the zombie above Erik. Erik scooted from the corner and stood cautiously. He looked at Andrew.

The banging increased and the survivors took shifts repairing or holding up the plywood. Anyone that got too tired to help tried to sleep within the small store room. They kept a small blanket on the floor and several bags of rice as a pillow. Erik discovered that this small building did have electricity and a working walk-in storage freeze. Meat, fruit and anything that could spoil was stored within it. The dominant attitude that pressed down upon the group from Christopher had all but disappeared. The whole group was more concerned with keeping the undead out then with keeping Christopher happy. The night passed quickly. Kali, the young girl, struggled with her parents through the night. She was 10 years old and smart but confining children to a small building was asking for trouble.

Erik found several decks of cards in the office. He offered to play with Kali. The poor girl had no idea how to play Spades or a simple game of War. The first two games of War ended up with Kali walking away. The rest of the night the adults picked up the idea and played Spades. It had become a social gathering, held to a minimum volume by Christopher’s fear of another undead invasion. Kali disappeared into the store room and slept for several hours while the adults switched from playing to guard duty.

“Where you from?” Kali’s father Steven asked as he dealt out another hand.

“I’m from here, outside the wall,” Erik replied.

“I see,” Steven began then paused. It was almost like he didn’t want to continue but then… “We travel a lot and Kali doesn’t really have a home.”

“Why’s that?”

Again Steven paused. He seemed to choose each and every word that finally came out of his mouth. “We don’t make a lot of friends. We move around a lot.”

“I got that,” Erik replied with a short smile. Steven looked to his wife, who played the game off to his side. She grumbled quietly then spoke.

“We are modern day Gypsies. We are not native Gypsies or any of that but have been on the road since the initial infection in the South. We live off of what we can take and eat.”

“That seems to be the same for most of us,” said Sean, the only other man that Erik didn’t know. Andrew and Sean were brothers and they had picked up the tall Haitian and initiated him into what Andrew called the Band of Brothers. “Me and Andrew walked for fifty fucking miles only to be picked up by the damn militia. They wanted us to become one of them but we said fuck off.”

“No, you said f-k off. Little brother. Not me,” Andrew replied as he walked by the card game. “Who the hell is winning this game anyways!”

“I am,” Erik said with a smile. “Of course, you are. Cheating motherfucker,” replied Andrew.

“Dude, take your negative ass out of here,” Sean said as he shoved his brother. “Sorry about Andrew. He’s pissed because mom didn’t give him and African name like Seniqua.”

“Shut the hell up,” Andrew threatened then walked away. Something outside the window caught his eye and he flagged the group to over to a window.

“What the hell is that?” Erik said as he look out in amazement. The sun was starting to appear over the tall abandoned sky scrapers. The dim light highlighted the chaos outside the restaurant. The zombies, that had been banging all night, were laid out in the parking lot. Blood pooled under them from the neck.

“Did you call for reinforcements, Christopher?” Erik asked as he turned around but he stopped. The blood fell from his face as he watched the tall man, with the laugh and the anger, bite into the side of Sean’s thin neck. Sean screamed but the screams were interrupted by the escaping blood from his jugular. Andrew, Sean’s brother, growled loudly. He attempted to approach Christopher but like a dog with a meal Christopher moved Sean in front of his brother. He bit harder into the black man’s thin neck causing Sean to grunt. “NO!” “What the fuck!” Andrew attempted to move around Christopher but he was countered in every way by the struggling meal within Christopher’s grasp.

After Christopher had drained Sean of blood he let him go. Sean fell to the floor, still alive but dying quickly. The remaining survivors surrounded Christopher waiting for him to make another move. He moved quickly and attempted to trap Steven within a corner of the lobby. Steven escaped, the element of surprise gone from the attacker.

Michigan Avenue sat quietly waiting for Erik and the Haitian. The four lane roadway was carpeted with a rainbow of iron colors from abandoned cars attempting to escape the city. The tall grass, growing underneath the cars seemed to trap the cars in place. Zombies were scattered and wandered within the cars. A fence, broken and laying on the ground lay in front of the men. The fence made noise as they walked over it and into the tall grass.
“I’m hoping we can find something to use in these cars,” Erik said as they approached the first car.
“You’re willing to risk your life for something to fight with?”
“I’m risking life to take a step in this god damn place.”
The Haitian smiled. His leg throbbed underneath the cloth bandage.
The first car was a rusted old white Oldsmobile. Erik and the Haitian searched within the dirty windows but found no zombies trapped within the vehicle.
The door resisted the attempt to open. It’s chlorophyll-filled captors were tied to any crevice within the rusted white doors. Erik and the Haitian beat down the thick pig weed and thorny pricklies to finally force the two driver’s side doors open.
Outside the car the zombies walked oblivious to the two living intruders. The door opened slowly. The sun-baked air escaped quickly. It was warm and searching within the car caused Erik to sweat but he found a baseball bat and a knife. The knife sat within the glove compartment.
Erik handed the Haitian the knife and partially closed the door. A tall, pale zombie stumbled toward them. It tripped several times but never fell. The moment it smelled the living its downward facing head and eyes stood up and straight ahead. It’s eyes were clouded over with the cancerous lesions. It’s face long and teeth gnashing with the hunger. Within seconds it would be upon them but Erik also noticed that other zombies, that had previously ignored them, began to stumble toward them. Something ticked them off to a meal.

The zombies immediately stopped fighting as Erik approached. They inflated their noses as the familiar smell of life drifted up and into the decayed skin. They turned from each other and wandered toward the pleasant smell. It did not take them long to pin-point the smell on the shore and Erik backed away from the edge of the aqueduct. He watched as the trio of water-borne zombies struggled to approach the edge of the river of water. They grabbed anything available and grunted as the reeds and cat tails broke away.

A single zombie approached the edge of the water but unfortunately the aqueduct’s concrete slanted inward and it had no strength in its legs. It grunted in frustration as the Haitian approached. He watched the trio then noticed a large log that spanned the aqueduct. “Let’s go that way.”

Erik and the Haitian approached the log within the water several more zombies seemed to be stuck in the water but the reeds and plants that covered the water made it impossible to tell how many. The log seemed to have been a former power line, which had fallen across the aqueduct. It made a thin bridge but it was a bridge. The terrifying fact of the whole situation was the unknown below the bridge. Erik decided to go first and start across the 1-foot piece of timber. We stood upon the wood and grabbed the cat tails as he walked across. The cat tails offered no support but he found that he could manage to pull each plant toward him equaling out his balance on the bridge. The bridge began to bend downward and bounce as he began over the water. Erik also noticed that it was covered in moss, which would make it slick. He tried to walk slowly but the difficulty of balancing and not slipping on the log pushed him to walk faster. A sudden grunt from within the weeds nearly dumped him into the infected water but at that time the other side of the aqueduct was nearly a jump away. Erik leapt and then leaned back against the concrete side of the aqueduct to catch his breath. The Haitian was very tall. He stood over 6-foot tall. Balance on the slick power line pole would be difficult. The man smiled at Erik as he made it too the halfway point fairly quickly. “I used to do this in my country all the time.” He boasted as he slowed when he noticed the thick moss. He carefully walked forward measuring every step. Erik reached forward to help the Haitian when he suddenly fell. He splashed into the reeds and the zombies within the water grunted. Quickly Erik stood at the edge of the water searching the weeds for the Haitian. He found him nearly 50 feet forward of their position. He was unharmed, luckily but Erik noticed the weeds rustling all around them. Erik reached out quickly and grabbed the Haitian’s long hands. He pulled from a safe position on the aqueduct but the slanted sides within the water made the rescue impossible. The rusting, within the reeds approached quickly and Erik needed a quick solution.

“Push the weeds underneath you. Use them to get support so I can pull you up. Oh!” Erik noticed a bunch of re-barb that has busted through the concrete. “Meet me down there.”

The Haitian fought with something within the water then swam forward toward the busted concrete. He grabbed a hold just as Erik arrived to help him. Erik pulled the large man upward. The task was still monumental but doable. The Haitian pulled down the cat tails and other weeds to try to make the rescue easier. Finally, Erik pulled the Haitian from the water but not before he was stabbed below the knee by the re-barb that helped save him. Dark, oxygenated blood poured from his wound down his black skin. Erik torn a sleeve from his shirt and placed it over the wound. Within minutes the zombies also found the re-barb and began to fight over who would attempt to climb out first. “We have to go, man,” Erik said as he helped the tall man up.

Erik and the Haitian limped over to a large concrete bridge that spanned the aqueduct and found a set of stairs to walk safely up and out. Erik looked to his right to find that a zombie had managed to drag itself from the water. It had spent so much time within the water, though, that its legs were useless.

“Thank you friend,” said the Haitian as they approached the tall grasses above the aqueduct.

The zombies paused after Christopher’s scream and turned. Christopher’s tough, angry face turned regretful as he realized what he just did.
The closest zombies charged awkwardly. Walking as if large timbers were strapped to their legs. The others followed till they had surrounded the new vampire. Christopher stretched out his new wings and flexed them but a zombie seized the opportunity and placed the thin leather into his mouth and ripped it from the wing. Christopher screamed and attempted to pull his wings in.
Erik and the Haitian seized the opportunity to run from the scene. The tall grass declined sharply causing both men to carefully lean back as they walked quickly. Anything within the grass, would be able to conceal themselves easily as the men moved.
At the end of the decline was a small ledge then a grass-covered concrete aqueduct. The water within the aqueduct sat stagnate but it moved slowly. Both ends blocked by the large wall at the ends of the city but it seemed to be built with a slight decline. The large water weeds and cat tails swayed in a late morning breeze as both men tried not to fall down the concrete and into the aqueduct.
The water within the aqueduct was dark as the moss covered concrete underneath it. The weeds and cat tails stood taller then Erik but just under the Haitian.
“Anything on the other side?” Erik asked the tall man.
“Nothing I can see,” said the Haitian then added. “It’s not the other side I’m so worried about but what’s in between it.”
Erik grumbled as he thought about the dead things that this small concrete creek would collect. It was nearly four-foot across and he had no idea how deep it was.
“We could walk back up the concrete?” Erik offered.
“We could.”
“But Michigan avenue is over there. It was a main thru-way when I was a boy. It would be are easiest route to safety.”
“Ok,” said the Haitian, “what do you want to do?”
“Let’s find out how deep it is.”
The Haitian agreed and both men searched for anything large enough to use as a measurement. Erik was the first to find left over undead. The thinned out, wet man grabbed desperately at Erik but Erik had unintentionally freed him from the weeds and it began to float away. It grumbled loudly as it disappeared in the weeds. Erik followed the movement of the tall grass until it stopped. He then heard another grumble and then a third. His fear of being overwhelmed within an aqueduct was becoming reality and it became even more frightening when he heard them fighting.
The Haitian was 50 feet the other direction heading back toward him with a long tree limb. Erik walked toward the fighting noise. His heart began to race as he approached. It sounded like humanoid animals fighting over a dead meal. You could almost pick up angry human shouts, which was truly frightening.
Erik approached slowly. Some of the weeds had been broken and the cat tails swung wildly. He could see long pale arms swinging wildly.
His throat immediately dried up as he noticed three thin zombies fighting each other.

The afternoon sun warmed Erik’s back as the whiskey circulated through his veins. He walked slowly behind the Mustang and rested at the corner. The whiskey whipped up the heat of the sun in his veins. Sweat fell from his forehead. The taste of the whiskey had been absent for Erik’s parched lips for two years but the desire was always there. The medicine within the caramel liquid seemed to work very fast. A lot faster then Erik expected. His head jellied up making it hard to concentrate but he still reasoned he hadn’t drunk enough to prevent a successful rescue.

Most of the zombie were distracted by the vampire. The car-wrecker vampire leap from victim to victim. Christopher, the vampire from the restaurant, stood and fought the crowd the surrounded him. A large number of the zombies had fallen within the aqueduct and were struggling to walk back up. He then noticed the Haitian lying behind Christopher. Guilt shot through Erik and the whiskey scurried from his head. “I completely forgot about him. I ran. I forgot. Oh my God the man is dead because of me.” A zombie approach from behind Erik. The noise of the shuffling feet was obvious. Erik dropped the duffel bag while grabbing the end of the bat. The bat slide easily out of the bag. Erik turned and swung. The anger dripped from the bat as blood. The zombie fell hard upon the rear of the red Prius. His head crushed. Erik pulled the bat from the zombies head and swung again. The bat devastated the skull of soft matter from the zombie’s chin to the center of his head. Erik then swung at its knees buckling them easily. The zombie slide downward off the Prius and Erik attempted another swing. He swung back with such force he shattered the passenger window of the Prius. The glass within the Prius shattered causing Kali’s zombie mother to pause. Kali pulled her hair from the zombie and scrambled from the Prius. She stopped for several seconds. Staring at the empty human skin that used to be her parents. She then grabbed a worn backpack sitting between the seats and left. Kali stared at the chaotic scene outside. The monsters fighting monster world that she belonged too, had unfortunately, become too familiar to her.

Kali walked around the Prius. The car behind the Prius had parked too close causing her to leap upon the bumper and over. Erik shoved the thick end of the bat into the crumpled mass of a body. He was completely unaware that the rescue had been completely successful. That was until another zombie tugged hard upon Kali’s backpack causing her to scream and fall backward.

Erik immediately stopped. The whiskey had been burned up completely within him but the fire still raged. The zombie ,several feet taller, then Kali attempted to ripe off the back pack. It seemed to give it a great amount of trouble as the zombie desperately tried to capitalize on the element of surprise. Erik walked slowly beside the zombie. It was also a foot taller then Erik. He measured the accuracy of a large upward swing with the bat. The zombie fought with Kali and the backpack but watched Erik through slight eye movements. Erik couldn’t tell if he was going to change his mind on a meal or if he was watching to see if Erik would swing at him. Kali fought off the zombie but in order to free herself would have to raise her arms above her head. The zombie would then grab an easy bite but she didn’t trust Erik to swing accurately. It was a lose-lose situation for Kali.

Erik swung but the bat stopped and Erik fell into the zombie. The backpack became free and fell to the ground. Erik and the zombie fell into the cars behind. Someone quickly ripped Erik from the zombie and tossed him hard upon the ground. Erik fell, turned and saw the Haitian standing above the zombie. The Haitian grabbed the zombie by the jaw and then pulled. He decapitated the monster within seconds. Erik sat upon the ground as blood sprayed from the headless zombie. The Haitian growled like a beast. Kali searched the ground behind the Haitian. Erik noticed a small black rock sitting just under the Prius. It had no shine but it seems to attract the eye. Kali found it also. Grabbed it and placed it in her bag. She then stood and walked over near Erik. The Haitian turned and looked at Erik.

“No hard feelings, my friend,” he said as he helped Erik to his feet.

Erik stared at several zombies as they pounded upon the dirty windows of the red Mustang. The windows rattled each time their meaty palms smacked the glass but it seemed to hold. The mid-afternoon sun warmed the stale, pungent air within the car. Within thirty minutes the heat would be unbearable and rolling down the windows would be crazy. He suddenly remembered the little girl, Kali. She was trapped four feet away in another car with a dead father and mother that had become a zombie.

“She has been in that car a while,” he thought as he imagined the long, painful scene. “If they are within that car. Is it possible that they have been stuck all night long? The father turned and the poor girl was forced to slam his head until he died. The mother, who had yet turned, slowly became sick till she became a zombie. Kali must of struggled with the fact that she had to kill her father and possibly her mother?” Something hit the front of the car causing Erik to fall forward slightly. He looked up and found a young man standing upon the hood of the Mustang. The man’s feet had become large and grotesque. It was like they had attempted to grow three large talons but ended up becoming large dark skinned balloons. Above the feet the man looked normal but his chest and face were hidden above the ceiling of the car. Erik was frozen in fear, afraid to move. If this was another vampire then he was a good as dead if the thing knew he was there. The zombies along the driver’s side of the Mustang suddenly stopped and slowly wandered toward the front of the car. The young man stepped toward the windshield. He pressed downward with his large feet causing the aluminum to bend. The zombies reached forward desperately trying to grab at the large feet. The young man stood still for several moments then began to laugh. He then jumped and disappeared from view. Within a moment he reappeared behind the row of zombie and quickly bit into the back of the neck of a young zombie woman.

He drank from the zombie’s neck and the zombie tried to reach backward. The zombie had no fear of death but only a hunger. The pale white eyes and human expression within its face was of confusion. The two other zombies, that were near, turned and approached the young vampire. The vampire heard them move forward and opened his eyes. His eyes burned. The small red veins within his white orbs throbbed with blood. The two zombie approached and the vampire stopped feeding. The victimized zombie fell to its knees, drained of whatever liquid kept it mobile. The vampire smiled, his thin pale lips spread across his long thin face. Quickly, the vampire snapped the first zombies neck with a quick twist and he spun the other around sank his teeth into the second. The pale white eyes of the zombie stared through Erik as he watched the zombie struggle. Erik hoped that the dirty driver’s window blurred the vampires vision and he prayed he would not be next.

The Mustang had quickly become a potential tomb and the vampire finished his meal but it then leap upward and Erik could see the large leathery wings. It began to descend but the wings allowed the vampire to glide over the crowd of zombies. Suddenly free of the walking dead around him and with the others in the horde interested in the vampire Erik tried to open his door but it was jammed. The first victim of the vampire lay against the door of the Mustang. The second lay upon the first. Erik would have to crawl out the passenger side. As he maneuvered he noticed a large bag in the back seat. He grabbed the bag. Opened it and found a treasure of potential zombie gear. A large wooden bat sat in the center of the bag. A long chain underneath the bat. A large kitchen knife sat hidden beneath that. What interested Erik the most was several bottles of caramel-colored liquid.

“Oh my God, its whiskey!” Erik unscrewed the cap from one of the bottle and sniffed. The candy-like aroma sank into his pours like the site of an old girlfriend. Erik hadn’t had a drink in an eternity. He had last sipped the caramel liquid just before being arrested days earlier.

Erik sat upon the passenger seat of the Mustang and placed the bag on the driver’s seat. He placed the bottle of whiskey to his lips then drank. It was a very warm, Brillo pad of a drink that almost made him gag. The fiery liquid fell quickly into his empty stomach spreading its warm all throughout his body. He took another drink and then a third. A scream blasted through the car windows and Erik shook off the desire to drink. He then remembered Kali and her predicament.

The whiskey wrestled through his bloodstream as he stepped out into the warm weather. Outside the passenger seat Erik could see zombies but they had chased other things far from him. He looked behind him, over the red Mustang and saw Kali within the Prius wrestling with her mother.

“Crap,” Erik placed the bottle within the bag and pulled out the baseball bat. He then walked slowly around the Mustang.

Erik and the Haitian stand at the edge of the aqueduct. A fence, broken in many places barely stands along the edge. Cars clog the roadway and the zombies negotiate awkward turns as they approach. Grunts erupt from behind them and something explodes into the air. Christopher’s giant wings expand to fill six-feet on either side of the large man. He attempts to flap them wildly which only makes him look like a amateur. He straightens the wings and resolves to glide. Erik then noticed large holes within the wings as the vampire began to descend. Christopher noticed Erik and the Haitian standing along the edge of the aqueduct. Christopher smiled as he hung under the wings. The large man’s body was broken. Large broken holes within his now thin frame. Blood dangled from the holes in his body as it did from his large mouth.

Erik ran. All other thoughts disappeared. Ahead of him stood various sized zombies all instantly interested in this new approaching meat stick. Erik ran down a slight decline then back up to the abandoned road. Two rows of zombies approached quickly from either side. The first car approached. A red blur of a car. Erik leap over the hood but caught his foot. He stopped, grabbed the edge of the hood by the windshield and looked inside the window. Within the window he saw the little girl staring back at him from the back seat. Within the front seat her father lay, face-first on the steering wheel. Her mother struggled within the passenger seat. Kali had tied her up with clothing found within the car. 

“No, frick’n way,” Erik thought as he felt the thin hands of a zombie grabbing his right ankle. “Crap.” Erik pulled his ankle away and swung his feet across the hood. Another zombie stood for seconds before Erik kicked it backward. This cleared a four foot section of road pointing directly toward an old red Mustang. Erik jumped from the hood of the car and bolted through the closing escape route. A woman, dead chunks of skin hanging from her face, stepped in front of him. Erik used his forward momentum to push her into a crowd of others. This cleared the doorway of the Mustang. Erik approached it quickly, hoping to God that the door was unlocked. It was. Erik pulled the door forward. A pair of zombie grabbed him and pulled. Erik held the door handle and the door and pulled back. A third zombie stepped in front of Erik. 

“Oh, no your not, Fucker!” Erik shouted as he jerked away from the two zombies and pushed his large hands up into the chin of the third. With an amazing jolt of adrenaline Erik shoved forward and broke the zombies neck, severing the connection to the brain. It quickly went limp and began to fall. Erik grabbed it and pushed it behind him, into the other. Erik through himself into the Mustang and closed the door. 

The zombies quickly attempted to open the door. Erik struggled to keep the door shut finally locking it a final time. Erik’s heart beat quickly, his breath short and face warm. The zombies tried to bust the side windows of the Mustang. Their persistent pounding would eventually bust the glass. 

Christopher screamed again within the distance and miraculously a large majority of the zombie horde turned and forgot about Erik. The remaining zombies were determined to eat lunch. 

Kali watched as the Haitian slept against the garage door. Erik passed out somewhere near the back of the garage. She was restless as the afternoon sun passed into the evening. The zombies outside the garage door eventually grew bored of banging and left. There were two windows at the rear of the garage and another on the left. The light from the sun stretched a diagonal bridge of light into the dim darkness of the garage. The broken zombie laid silently under the light. Kali sat against the cold aluminum garage door imagining it’s limbs moving. Slightly, it would tremble its hands or suddenly move it’s broken feet. Kali imagined the undead monster crawling forward slowly. It’s glazed over white eyes were peering forward. Kali was too frightened to move. She stared at the broken zombie and trembled. She missed her father and her mother. As bad, as her parents had been she missed them terribly. The constant battles with the law or the next big scam. It was a life that left little time for reflection and Kali was often the one that was left to move quickly without thinking. She, being the youngest of the family, was told last and at the very worst moment. She knew how to deal with a crisis and this one was no different. She shook off the daydream and found the zombie had returned to the corner, it’s head lying awkward on the cold floor. Several hours had passed since the zombies quit banging. The world moved ahead outside the garage as Kali sat imagining a twice-dead body would tear her apart.

Kali skittered away as something heavy fell against the aluminum garage door. Outside, Kali heard more movement but this was not the shuffle-shuffle of zombies. Kali, thought quickly, that other survivors had approached but quickly melted from the large garage windows when she noticed the 45-degree corner of one large leathery wing. “You stupid, child!” Someone shouted. “Child! I’m older then you leather-face!”

“Stop both and find a way inside that house.”

The Haitian had yet developed the tall canines typical of a vampire. He had several hours remaining till the conversion would take him but the thirst was there and it was awesome. It grabbed his chest and throbbed as the zombie lay within his grasp. It’s head had fallen back and bobbed back and forth as the Haitian fought with this new urge. Kali and Erik stood and quietly watched as the tall black man growled at his potential meal.

The Haitian suddenly tossed the zombie into a corner of the garage. The limp body crashed loudly into abandoned tools and equipment. He knelt. Sweat traced transparent screams of pain down his long black face. His inside’s twisted as the parasite maneuvered. It painfully replaced the host organs as it held onto the Haitian’s life.

“Kali… Kali!” Shouted Erik from near the garage door. Kali was entranced by the emotional display of pain. She watched as the Haitian began to collapse.

“Kali!” Erik shouted as loud as he could. “We need to go!”

Kali shook herself from the trance and began to walk toward Erik. The Haitian looked at Erik. His eyes glared, white upon red veins that pulsed with blood. “She’s not going with you!” He said. The Haitian placed a large fist upon the ground as he tried to stand. Kali moved faster. Erik found the ax and held it tightly. “Erik…,” a throng of pain stopped him cold. “I’m not a danger to you.”

“Seriously? Tell that to Damon or whatever that guys name was. The fat guy tore out his neck. I’m not going to watch Kali get tore apart by you.”

“Sean,” the Haitian growled. “You are truly as selfish as your alcohol displays but I will not kill you and I will not kill young Kali.

“Liar! Kali, lets go.” Erik lifted the ax and turned to the door. He twisted the door handle and the door pushed forward. A surge of undead had been waiting for the opportunity to enter the garage. Kali screamed and Erik struggled to close the door. The Haitian stood over Erik and pushed against the door. Within minutes the door was again closed.

“Stupid man,” said the Haitian after the door was relocked.

“F-you, tall ass man,” Erik shot back.

“Stop trying to be a hero.”

“Stop turning into a vampire! Because now we are stuck with your monster ass.” Erik grabbed the ax and walked away. The Haitian slid down against the door. He listened to the pounding and sobbed quietly.

The zombie nurse fell sideways as the weight of the ax pushed downward upon her. Kali recoiled backward as blood from the zombie sprayed her face. Her scream was stolen by the suddenness of the action and she stood silently staring. The Haitian stepped over the zombie nurse but Erik urged him to step back. The ax twisted from Erik’s hands and fell to the concrete floor with a clang. Erik picked it up quickly and swung downward upon the side of the zombies head. Blood flooded the thin brown hair of the zombie. Her skull collapsed easily under the weight of the ax head. Kali scooted quickly out of the way of the blood as it ate away the space between her and the large garage doors. Two zombies appeared at the open garage door. They growled as they noticed the trio standing within the garage. The first zombie rushed forward. His ability to run surprised all three. Erik pulled upward on the ax but fell backward. The Haitian had time to throw his hands up but the zombie hit him in the chest. Both fell backward and wrestled upon the concrete floor. The second zombie walked slowly through the door as Kali watched the wrestling match in horror. Erik found the ax and stood. He approached the second zombie and shoved him hard into the aluminum garage door. The door resisted and pushed back and the zombie fell toward Erik. Erik shoved the ax into the side of the zombie’s head but the momentum was not enough to kill it. The zombie again fell against the garage door but soon stood. It stood slowly holding onto the thin metal framework of the garage door. Erik gripped the ax and held it chest high. He pushed the head of the ax forward and into the zombies ear. The aluminum garage door moaned as it caught the momentum and weight of the zombie. The zombie fell to the ground. It was still not dead but it was severely beaten. It attempted to grab for Kali but it’s legs seemed to be unresponsive. Erik grabbed the zombie by it’s feet and dragged it from the garage door. A trail of blood marked the effort as Erik disappeared out the smaller wooden entryway. Kali listened to Erik fight with some other zombies and then watched as Erik reappeared in the doorway. He then quickly closed the window-less door and locked it.

The Haitian regained the upper hand, with his increased strength and lifted the running zombie up and left into the darker corners of the garage. The zombie quickly stood but had hurt one of his legs. It walked quickly awkwardly toward the Haitian. The Haitian growled loudly and stepped forward. He grabbed the zombie with his large left hand and pulled it forward then with his right palm shoved it upward into it’s jaw. This snapped the zombie’s thin neck and it fell instantly.

Erik stood with the Haitians help. The tall black man was not yet a vampire but Erik noticed dark blood along his right shoulder. Two dime-sized red marks identified the infection.

“Brother, how are you?” He asked.

“How are you, is the real question,” Erik asked cautiously. The Haitian smiled and placed a large black hand upon the dime-sized marks. “Saved my life.”

“Well, I guess that’s one way,” Erik said with a grimace. “Thanks, for the help. I need a drink.”

Erik searches and finds the duffel bag. He reaches into the bag and removes the cap from the bottle of whiskey. He swallows hard while watching as the zombies begin to gather around the three.

“What do you recommend we do, superman?” Erik asked.

“Um…we have to find some place to stay.” The tall man shoved an approaching zombie backward into a second. His strength was amazing but his character was increasingly interesting because it had not changed.

“What about your friends?” Erik asked.

“They are not friends,” The Haitian grumbled as he searched for the two other vampire. Both vampire had disappeared. “One has taken a life from me and the other has brought life back but neither was within my control to choose.”

The liquor surged through Erik’s veins and he smiled. The warm liquid pulsed through his head. This time it cleared the fear and hesitation from his body. It brought an escape plan to his attention.

“Let’s head to the houses over there. We can then search for food and drink and a safe place to stay for now.”

“Kali, are you OK with that?” Kali stared at Erik silently. The trauma from the last several hours weighed heavy upon her shoulders. The fact that Erik was partially intoxicated also caused her to pause. “What kind of protection can an alcoholic provide?” She thought.

“Let’s go! Lead the way big man.” Erik said with a smile.

Michigan avenue was littered with the dead. The activities of Erik, Kali and the Haitian attracted the hoard. Outside of the large broken artery to the city dozens of family homes sat empty. A large fence separated the roadway from the homes. The fence was covered in webs of green sprinkled with yellows and reds. The late September weather wore on the vines that climbed it. The fence protected the homes from the noise of the busy street but now hid the dangers behind it. Sections of the large fence were broken leaving doorways to the homes behind it. The ground fell sharply followed by the tall fence. A few zombies roamed around the fence. Erik reached back into his duffel, took another drink.

The Haitian, with his humongous reach and improved strength stepped in front. He met a couple zombies and dispatched them quickly. Erik and Kali followed slowly. Erik felt like he was floating off the ground. He searched for danger and spun around several times. His courage increased 3-fold but his ability to watch beneath him failed several times. Near the center of the decline toward the fence it evened out slightly. The Haitian fought off another small zombie but stood several feet ahead of Erik and Kali. Kali walked cautiously behind Erik uncomfortable with the protection he offered. Erik stepped forward and lost his balance. He fell into the tall grass. Kali screamed. The zombie leapt upon Erik within an instant. It had lost the ability to use its legs but moved very fast. It went for Erik’s belly. It would be the easiest part of the body to pull apart. Erik threw his hands downward trying to push the zombie away. The zombie had an great advantage, lying prone, and brushed off Erik’s attempts. The zombie grasp Erik’s dirty, button up shirt and tore it open.

Erik’s duffel sat at his feet. Kali leapt over to the bag and opened it. The bat sat partially covered but Kali tore open the bag and lifted the two bottles and tossed them upon the ground behind her. She then grabbed the bat and swung downward upon the back of the zombies neck. The neck broke. The zombies neck collapsed severing the connection to the brain. It fell face-first upon Erik’s naked belly. Erik screamed in perceived pain and rolled to the side. He sat up slowly. He shook visibly. The fear of the encounter erased the whiskey high completely. Kali shoved the end of the bat into the back of the zombies head. The Haitian ran around her and picked up the duffel then helped Kali move forward toward the hole in the wall. They left Erik sitting silently within the grass.

Erik shook off the fright and watched Kali and the Haitian approach the fence. Erik stood and followed. A small duplex, with a garage, stood across the street. It had dirty, white shingles and an over-grown lawn but the first-floor windows and doors were boarded up. Erik joined the Haitian and Kali. The zombies seemed to be scattered within the small city street. The fence creaked as the trio walked slowly over it. They walked carefully over the street and then approached the front door of the house. Erik stepped forward and tugged at a large piece of plywood covering the front door and windows but they didn’t budge.

“Whoever put these up put them up well,” he said. The Haitian and Kali walked to the right toward the back of the house looking for a way to enter. Erik went left between this house and another. Every window was covered. Windows on the second floor and the small basement windows were not covered but they were inaccessible. A garage, with an open side door stood beside the house. The Haitian walked slowly into the open garage door. “Maybe we can find a ladder,” he said to Kali. Erik met them and all three walked into the garage. The garage was dark and the lights did not work. A zombie or two could still be hiding somewhere inside but in order to get into the house they needed a ladder. A ladder tall stood against a dark wall. It was enough to reach the roof of the front porch . Erik warned Kali to stay against the large metal garage door. He and the Haitian searched the garage. Kali watched as Erik approached the ladder. The ax stood in front of the ladder and Erik moved it quietly, taking note so he would remember to come back for it. The ladder seemed to be attached to the wall by bungee so Erik unhooked one then the other. The ladder jerked forward and fell hard to the ground. Erik jumped back.

“Son of a bitch,” Erik swore as he picked it up and set it back against the wall. Kali screamed and Erik’s knees fell out from under him.

“Damnit,” Erik watched as the Haitian sprinted toward the front of the garage. A zombie shuffled slowly toward Kali. Erik grabbed the ax and leapt toward Kali. Through the dim light of the garage door windows Erik could see that this zombie was dressed as a nurse. Erik heaved the ax and brought it down right across the right shoulder.

Trapped within a small closet Erik covered his ears and shook as the zombies pounded away. The thumping sounded like a chorus of death waiting for the flimsy drywall and wood to fall away. The thumping and the attempts to pull away the wooden shield broke Erik within moments and he screamed. The zombies responded quickly by doubling their effort. The predators whipped into a frenzy as Erik struggle to hold on to his wooden lifeline. His right foot struck the outside wall and busted through the thin paneling. He pulled his foot from the paneling and struck again making another hole. With his free hand he then pulled the paneling from the wall. Behind the wall Erik found insulation and a thin wood siding. The 2 x 4 framework was just wide enough to fit Erik’s large frame. Erik let go of the shelf and let it fall upon him. The zombies attempted to pick it up but were unable to move it out of the way due to the crush of zombies trying to get to Erik. Erik pulled the insulation from the walls and fed it to the zombies outside the closet. The insulation disappeared quickly, almost causing Erik to fall toward the zombies. The wooden siding would be easy to kick through but the vinyl would not be. Erik kicked away the wooden siding and pressed against the vinyl till it finally gave away. It actually fell away with a little too much noise. Erik was suddenly frightened that it has attracted other zombie from outside the house. From inside the house they managed to turn the shelf sideways. Erik fought with dozens of hands attempting to snatch him. He kicked away more of the siding and began to slide from the house. The shelf fell forward along with several of the zombies. Erik was left half dangling from the wall when a zombie fell in front of him. It immediately noticed Erik and grabbed for him. Erik slid backward desperately trying to wiggle his wide shoulders through the small gap. The zombie grabbed a hand and pulled but Erik quickly freed it and fell backward.

Erik couldn’t see them but heard more zombies stumbling down the steps. Another appeared within the kitchen door. All the windows and door within the lower level of the house were boarded up. The noise of jerking the wood from the windows would send these monsters into a frenzy. The room behind him was a small bedroom. A bed sat within the center of the room followed by a small closet. There were clothes hanging upon the silver bar below a shelf. Upon the shelf were several large plastic containers. Erik backed into the room watching the mob of undead stumble toward him. He quickly noticed the small child appear from behind the legs of the older zombies. Erik’s stomach twisted at the thought of a poor young child being turned into such a monster but he had little time to hold on to pity.

The little undead girl sped toward Erik. Hunger screamed within her monstrous face. Her muscles were stronger and younger then the others. Erik stepped back into the bedroom and the little girl rushed toward him. He pointed the ends of the broken chair at the small monster but he didn’t intend to use it. She reminded him of his daughter. The small part of his family he lost many years ago when the infection began. The abandonment issues erupted within him and he batty the small zombie away. The small zombie fell to the ground but stood quickly. Erik fell backward into the closet. The older, taller zombies approached the bedroom door. The small zombie rushed him and tried to bite. Erik, took a terrible breath and pushed the broken chair into her soft neck pushing her to the ground. He then shoved the other wooden fingers into her small skull. The zombie didn’t die right away. It struggled till her infected brain passed out. Erik’s hands shook as he stared down upon her but the older zombies approached quickly. Erik searched for a way out and couldn’t find one. He could only hide within the closet. With no other choice Erik stepped into the closet, pulled away the clothes and disappeared within the darkness. Above his head was the shelf. Erik grabbed the shelf and pulled it down. The large plastic containers fell from the shelves pummeling some of the zombies. What was left of the shelf Erik used to wall himself within the closet.

Erik woke early the next morning. His head throbbed. His arms were sore. His hands were tied at the wrist behind a wooden chair but he was alive. Unanswerable questions scrolled through his head. The vampire had spared his life.

The room was large and very quiet. Dark red curtain hung about the boarded up windows. The front door stood in front of him. Thick planks of plywood nailed to a small, simple framed in door. Through the imperfect match of one plank to another Erik could see that it was daylight. His ankles were not tied so he could stand. He turned as he stood and nearly tripped over a body. It’s pale drawn-in face staring up at him. It’s mouth in a stationary moment of awe. Blood still pooled and sank within the thick carpet beneath it. The body has been torn near the neck arms and abdomen like a pack of animals snacked on it. Erik stumbled backward and fell downward. The chair legs buckled under the sudden impact. The seat of the chair fell upon Erik’s wrists causing him to scream in pain. Erik heard movement from above a staircase near the kitchen. Within a moment a small child stumbled forward, her jaw broken and gnawing at a tongue that laid upon her chin. Behind her a taller man appeared. He looked dazed but he was also dead. Both zombies noticed Erik and stepped forward. The taller male zombie stepped over the young child and missed the first step. It fell head first down the stairs sliding upon its face and chest down the incline. The body upon the floor jumped, as if startled, and turned on it’s belly. It’s eyes blinked slowly and it exercised it’s decayed jaw.

“Oh my God.. my God,” shouted Erik as he struggled to stand. His hands still bound to the back of the chair. Erik slide backward over the broken seat and it’s legs. He pushed himself until he was able to stand with help from the front wall of the house. The small child zombie began to move forward but seemed to realize the drop below and squatted. As she did another larger zombie appeared and fell forward. This time Erik heard the crack of bones as the body broke as it tumbled. The zombies on the floor began to stand as the third fell upon them. Erik stood and walked carefully to a bedroom on the right. Just before he entered the open door he leaned against the frame of the doorway. He watched the zombies began to fumble. The muscles and nervous system struggling to command the stiff movements. Erik stepped forward the pushed himself backward into the corner of the frame. The pain shot up and down his back. He arched his back and thrust his belly forward but the back of the chair busted freeing his hands. Erik grabbed what was left of the chairs and planned to use that to defend himself.

Erik stood. Pain wrapped his worn body like a blanket. Kali’s face was broken with blood red scars. The room was walled on two sides. Shaped grey stones lined horizontally in rows. On the right was another tunnel, wood nailed to the grey stones. Erik moved slowly, the pain moved like molasses in January. Kali covered her face and sobbed quietly. Suddenly from the other side of the stone wall the two survivors could hear men talking.

“I heard something.”

“From where Nicholas. Where is this noise coming from?”

“The wall.”

“How is that going to happen? There is nothing behind the wall.”

“I’m telling you there are more from the Network. Brian told us to exterminate them all.”

“I know what Brian said!”

Kali moved uncomfortably. Several broken pieces of wood lay beneath her. Erik attempted to comfort her but the Haitian burst through the broken entrance. He growled. He was bent at the belly. His shoulders were odd with large tumors growing upward out of both. The Haitian growled. Memories of the horror from Christopher and Station 1. The Haitian stepped forward and Erik leapt over Kali. He grabbed her right arm and pulled her upward. The broken pieces of wood pierced her young skin as she screamed partially in pain and fear. Erik grabbed her and pulled her close. He headed toward a small corner near the next tunnel but they could not enter. The Haitian walked closer, the tumors grew upon the Haitian’s shoulders as he suddenly screamed.

The vampire behind the fake wall began to make progress as they pounded and clawed at the faux stone. Erik pulled on the wood covering the tunnel till he found a loose edge. He pulled and it came out easily. Erik tried the next one but it resisted. He tried the one below and it fell. So did the one below that. Erik insisted and Kali crawled carefully under the wood barrier. “Run, Kali.”

Kali stared her small blue eyes pleaded. She was terrified of being alone and worse the darkness was behind her. Erik asked again and Kali watched. Several hands burst through the wall. The Haitian fell to the floor. The tumors extending down his back.

The vampire broke through the wall. They spotted Erik as they glanced at the Haitian. The two vampire grabbed Erik. Erik pulled away but he had no where to go. He couldn’t escape out of the small entry and he couldn’t run through the other tunnel.

Kali panicked. Fear picked up her feet and sped them through the darkness. Erik struggled but the two vampire overpowered him and pulled him through the broken wall.

The darkness under the garage floor choked away the fear of the zombies and replaced it with a fear of the dark. Kali shivered as the fear tickled her spine. “I’m not going anywhere,” she shouted. “I can’t breath!” She added. She then turned quickly and attempted to sprint up the stairs but was blocked by the large Haitian.

“It’ll be Ok young one,” said the Haitian and he held her. The comfort seemed to matter little because she fought viciously. The Haitian waited patiently till Kali dug into his arm with her nails. The pain made him angry. The energy from that anger screamed till it filled him with hatred.

Hatred for the situation he was in and hatred for the white men that swept him into this hell on earth. The lies that layered on top of each other till they finally convinced themselves it was for the best. Ultimately, it was only the best for those arrogant men.

Suddenly, echoing through the tall black man’s conscious was all the wrong committed by the white men, then the white race. All the trouble they caused. The anger ratcheted up till he was seconds from severing this small girls head from her chest.

The Haitian strangled Kali. Suddenly, the man behind the anger quickly disappeared. The anger, the monster within the large man roared.

Erik stood within the darkness watching through the thin strips of light. The Haitian had finally lost it, he thought. He was going to tear this poor girl to pieces. The problem, he thought, was that the Haitian had super human strength. Erik was a smaller man even before the vampire bite but Erik couldn’t allow the Haitian to kill this girl.

“Alright!” He shouted. “I’ve seen too much god damn death lately. You are not going to kill this little girl!”

Erik search for some conscious acknowledgement from the Haitian but he had disappeared from behind the eyes.

Kali screamed as the pain increased. The Haitian pressed hard upon her small neck. “Stop! Man just don’t.” Erik spat.

The only weapon he had available was the ax but would striking the large man do any good? Would it just make him kill her faster?

The thought broke Erik but he had to stand on his heels and do something. He refused to wait till another monster took another life.

Erik grabbed the ax and spun it so that the blunted end would strike the Haitian first. It should hurt but would not be fatal. Erik swung at the Haitian’s feet. The darkness hid the feature so it was a bit of luck when it struck the man and sent him falling backward. Kali fell forward. Erik grabbed her within seconds. He forced her to move forward through the thick blackness. The end of the tunnel appeared quickly. Thin slivers of vertical light shafts sliced through the darkness. Erik dropped his shoulder and hit the thin planks of worn out wood. The wood buckled outward then fell around both Erik and Kali.

The zombies grunted as they mingled around the small garage. The large aluminum doors in front bowed forward. It’s joints strained under the weight as they tore apart the small vampire lying on the ground. The three survivors listened to the vampire fight fiercely. Even with increased strength the vampire was not much for the ten or so that managed to tear him apart. Within moments the screaming stopped but strangely he kept fighting. His small arm slid under the garage door and grasp the frame. He pulled on the frame as the zombie feed off him. The door whined as the zombie pulled but soon after the arm swung forward, free from the shoulder. It held the aluminum frame but stopped fighting. It didn’t stop the zombies from trying to grab the meat that hung temptingly just within the doorway. A resourceful zombie grabbed at it and tried to place it in its mouth. All the anxiety Kali had managed through the night erupted and she screamed. The entire area went quiet. The thick fear that bound the survivors together strangled them as they waited for the consequences.

The consequences came swiftly. The zombies began to push on the aluminum door. The door gave easily. The steel frame of the door held them back but not for long. Worse, they found the windows in the back of the garage and busted them easily. Kali screamed again as they attempted to walk over each other and into the garage. “Oh my god,” shouted Erik and he searched for the ax. The day had passed on to evening and the garage was dark. The Haitian growled and found a baseball bat. Kali searched for anything she could use and grabbed a tire iron. She then approached a thin female zombie trapped under a large man. She was trapped within shards of glass but fought for the small eleven-year old girl. The large man could not lift himself over the woman. Kali squared up her hands and bashed the women behind the head. The zombie fell dead.

“I found something,” shouted Erik. “Hurry up.”

Kali and the Haitian watched Erik disappear into the darkness. They followed quickly as a zombie managed to fall through another window. The Haitian grabbed him quickly. His long teeth bared, the Haitian placed the zombie back into the window and pushed. The crowd behind the zombie held it within the window but it gave them a few moments. Within a dark corner of the garage Erik had found a crudely built escape hole. A thick wooden skid stood above the hole.

“Knock down the skid!” He shouted from below. The Haitian allowed Kali to disappear and looked back. Several zombies had managed to breach the obstacles but were lost upon the floor. The Haitian lowered the skid quietly.

The argument escalated into a shoving match forcing Kali to stand nearer the dead lying on the floor. She stared downward at the torn skin and dark rolling blackness that seemed to grow underneath it. The blood seemed darker then normal human blood but also thicker. It seems to amass like a pillow under the broken jaw of the zombie.

Outside the windows of the garage door Kali could also see the argument. The black leather wings lashed in many directions till a shot echoed through the garage. A set of wings suddenly stopped and disappeared. A prominent voice echoed loudly.

“Alright, enough!” It said as Kali watched a taller vampire appear within the windows. It was taller then the others and upon it’s face was a hockey mask. “We now have two seconds to get upon that roof and destroy this human station and every human within it. Now move!”

“…but sir,” protested one of the smaller vampire, “don’t we want to recruit more?”

“Do you really think I want more of you ignorant children on my crew?” He shouted. “I’m thankful this piece of crap is silenced for good. Kill them all!”

Something moved behind Kali and she almost screamed. The masked vampire turned and stared into the dark garage. It’s eyes glowed redder behind the white plastic mask. Kali squatted quickly, hoping that she had not given up their position, and stayed very quiet. She noticed Erik moving closer to her from the far corner. With her outstretched hand she tried to stop him from moving. Erik noticed her hand then the large red-eyed beast staring from above him. His heart leap from his chest as the beast searched within the windows. It’s red eyes tracing creepy lines within a white canvas. The world stopped for many seconds but quickly the beast turned away followed by the smaller ones.

After several additional seconds Erik crawled up to Kali and asked.

“The vampire just showed up at the garage door,” Kali explained. “They began to fight then that guy showed up, shot one and then said they were going to kill all the humans.”

“What the hell is wrong with this world?” Erik grumbled. “Zombie, vampire and death all around. What’s the good damn point of being human!”

“Because you have a choice to do the right thing,” said the Haitian as he walked toward the two. “Shut the hell up,” shouted Erik, “you have no room to talk with us humans.”

“Brother, you are close to getting your ass, kicked.”

Glass broke from a window within the house. Excited vampire rushed within the entryway. They were so loud and obnoxious they could be heard walking down the wooden steps to the room that held its captives. Sudden screams broke through but the unfortunate human victims had no where to go. The mission was completed within minutes and the screams quickly stopped. All the noise attracted the dead and they began falling into the garage door. The dead would then stand and walk forward, oblivious to lunch within the small garage. The trio of remaining survivors watched as rotten corpses walked past the windowed door. The count quickly passed 10 then 20 different bodies. The garage was no longer safe but they could also not leave.

The stairwell sat on the far right corner of the tall building. Erik and the Haitian walked briskly as the zombie climbed up the escalator. They struggled initially but soon figured out how to manipulate their dead limbs. The elevators sat quietly waiting. Erik pressed the elevator button but quickly figured that it wouldn’t work and disappeared into the stairwell after the Haitian. Just after he left the small LED between both elevators lit red and moments later the doors opened. Several zombies stumbled forward looking for prey but became trapped within the elevator.

Erik and the Haitian made there way slowly up the stairs to the 21st floor. The large hole within the building started at that floor and the Haitian stated that most of the vampire hovered around that level.

“What did you actually do last night?” Erik asked.

“I was searching for Kali.”

“Oh, so you lost hope that I would be able to do it? So you just left me to deal with this dead folks till you felt bad and returned to find me.”

“Something like that,” The Haitian took several quick steps and began to climb the next set of steps. Erik sped up and stood behind him. “It’s not a brotherly thing.”

The Haitian stopped and turned. “Brother, you make this very hard. I took an oath to treat all men as brothers but you drink till you pass out. You care less about your life and the life of others. You drain the life from everyone you encounter. You are a piranha.”

“Tell me how you really feel, dude.”

Erik faked a smile as both men reached the next floor. “You are free to let me do this on my own. I know I’m a despicable man.” Erik added. “I am fully aware of my freedoms,” the Haitian replied.

A door opened from several floors above them. Several feet began down the stairs as Erik and the Haitian climbed up.

“I don’t have a weapon,” Erik whispered. The two men crept upward quietly. One floor before the two groups met Erik and the Haitian stepped out the stairwell doors and into a large dark hallway. Erik tried to close the door quietly but it squeaked loudly. The footsteps from the floor above increased and Erik and the Haitian searched for a place to hide. Within moments the door opened slowly and both men froze where they stood. Erik hid behind a recess and the Haitian froze against the wall. From the doorway several men appeared. The light from the hallway reflected off their eyes. It looked as if several oblong orbs floated mid-air as they stepped into the darkness of the hallway.

“Hey, hey man.. what are you doing down here?” One of the men asked as he looked toward the Haitian. “Why aren’t you at the cor-i-nation party upstairs?” Erik looked at the Haitian, confusion hidden by the darkness. “If you playin hide an seek you are a bit dumb,” the man laughed followed by the other two. The odd floating orbs bounced as the men laughed. The shadowed frame of the men’s bodies walked forward as they laughed. “Gabriel’s figurd out how to give us super vision. Acually, this is the first time we’ve tested it.” The men continued forward and the Haitian stepped up to them. Suddenly, the elevator doors opened from within the darkness and several zombies tumbled from the doors. All three men turned. Their green eyes disappearing as they looked behind them. “Holy crap, man. They ain’t suppose to take the elevator.” The men stepped forward toward the zombies. The Haitian unfurled his wings and stepped forward. Erik followed behind him and disappeared within the wings.

Something thumped against the wall. “We aren’t suppose to kill them, idiot. The little girl is gonna need some nut_rition.”

“What the hell do they mean?” Erik whispered. One of the green-eyed men turned. His eyes glimmered slightly within the darkness. “Vamp, guy with no name. Come on over her and getcha a bite and bring that other guy whicha.”

“Were Ok, green-eyed dudes,” Erik shouted. The other two men turned for a creepy moment as all three pair of eyes shimmered within the dull light. “That’s Ok, friends we will grab a bite upstairs,” the Haitian replied. Another thud and the man shouted angrily as they killed another zombie. All three argued as the Haitian stepped in front of the stairwell door and let Erik sneak in behind him. “Hey, do you happen to know where that little girl is?” The Haitian asked. “I hear she’s quite the treasure.”

One of the men turned and looked. The glow from his eyes disappeared for seconds and then reappeared as another thump hit a hallway door. “I think Gabriel has her in the dungeon right now. I think 20th floor.” “Hey, have a good time. We will have these treats up there in no time.”

“Thanks guys,” Erik shouted from the stairwell. The Haitian folded his wings and stared at Erik as Erik grinned broadly. The Haitian stepped into the hallway and closed the door. They found an ax within the glass box that held the fire extinguisher and locked the door. They then began up the stairs quickly. This time the two men barely talked. They concentrated on pushing upward toward the 20th floor. The dungeon.

The zombie spread wide across the front of the building. A thin rope was strung about waist high from building to building. They looked like cattle milling around. “This is a little twisted,” Erik stated quietly. “I have an idea Erik, but you are not going to like it.” The Haitian offered. “Honestly, I don’t like much of anything right now. My head is pounding and I just stopped puking every 30 minutes.”

“I think you could draw the zombie mob from the front door,” said the Haitian. “How do you recommend I do that?” Erik asked.

The Haitian smiled. His wide dark lips parted slightly. “Well, that story you told me about how much fun you had with the zombies yesterday… your going to have to do but step it up three-fold and be hung over.” The Haitian waited for a response but Erik stood silently waiting for the punchline. “You will have to lead them around the block and back here. That will give me time to punch through the front door and leave it open for you.”

“Ha,” Erik chuckled. “Give you an opportunity to try to kill Kali, again.” The Haitian’s smile fell. “What, did you think I forgot that little scene under the garage? Dude, you tried to snap her neck. You tried to kill her.”

“I get your issue with me, brother,” the Haitian began. “Oh, and another thing,” Erik injected. “I am not your brother. Stop calling me your brother!” Erik shouted at the Haitian. The caught the attention of a couple zombie that milled close to them. They pushed toward them caught my the waist-high rope. The creatures unable to comprehend they needed to duck under the rope. Erik watched as they tried to walk through the rope. The confused look on there rotten faces as they pushed and went no where. “Erik, everyone in the world is my brother. You are my brother.” “From another mother.. yeah I get it.”

Erik stepped in front of the mob of zombie and waved wildly. He shouted insults at the walking dead. The noise attracted several. The sudden interest attracted the next group and the group after that. Within moments twenty then thirty zombies pushed against the rope restraint. The zombies in the center pressed down upon the rope causing them to fall face-first upon the concrete road. The other behind them followed suit. It was like a comedy of errors watching them all try to catch Erik as he ran back and forth screaming. The effort attracted a dozen then two dozen hungry zombies. They all walked forward against the rope. Suddenly, the rope was pulled from the corners of the buildings that it was strapped too. The zombie mob surged forward. Erik stopped in his tracks then ran down the street. The Haitian hid out of sight from the mob and watched as Erik disappeared. The parade of death following him slowly. With the liquored dependency the Haitian wondered if Erik would make it around a single quarter of the block. The plan was the stay ahead of the mob till he could get a clear shot of the front door. The Haitian would ensure that path was available as he came around. The results of the insane plan were yet unclear but the Haitian went to work on some of the straggling zombie. With the infection that Gabriel had blessed him with the Haitian was able to mow down the slower zombies easily. He wasn’t struck by the need to devour them like a majority of the other vampire within the walls. Using his overwhelming strength he snapped the necks of most of them leaving them paralyzed and helpless. He approached the large, broken glass door of the office building but before he could walk into the building several feet hit the ground behind him.

“What do you think your doing?” Shouted one man and the Haitian spun in place. He flared his wings and bared his teeth. Three vampire stood in front of them. They didn’t cower or even flinch. They laughed. They laughed at the large man turned vampire. The Haitian stepped forward and the vampire retreated but smiled. “The big bad-ass vampire thinks he knows a thing or two about fighting vampire. Your nothing but a virgin with a busted cherry. You are going to get your ass kicked and we are going to love it.”

The vampire in the center spread his wings and the other stepped back away from the fight. The Haitian growled and stepped forward. “Boyd, is going to terminate this abomination.” The Haitian stepped to the side and both fighters circled each other. Suddenly, someone grabbed the Haitian’s right wing and pulled forcing him to stumble. Boyd was on top of him in an instance. He pushed the Haitian’s head into the thick bones that traced the top of his wings. It dulled the impact of the blows but increased the pain. The two other vampire stepped upon the Haitian’s large black wings as he struggled to avoid the blows of the smaller, but stronger vampire. Boyd attempted a punch but the Haitian deflected it and sent the Boyd’s fist into the concrete. The force of the blow twisted Boyd’s wrist and he grimaced in pain. The Haitian reacted quickly and hit Boyd in the chest, knocking him backward. He sat upon his wings attempting to catch his breath. A second vampire slammed a foot upon his right wing causing pain to shoot through the channel of nerves to his back. The Haitian stood quickly pulling his wings from under the two other vampire. He then rushed forward and slammed his fist into Boyd’s sore chest. Reinforced bones cracked in Boyd’s body and he again fell backward. The Haitian then found a metal pole and shoved it up and under the thickened skull of the vampire. Boyd was dead within moments. The Haitian spun around to find Erik approaching. The zombie mob was barely a step from his heels. The two other vampire disappeared, likely hiding within the nest above. The Haitian ran quickly and grabbed Erik. He picked up the 30 year old man easily and jogged for the entrance to the building. The Haitian leaped into the broken glass and quickly found a non-working escalator. He placed Erik upon his feet and both men ran up the metal stairs. At the top both paused to take a breath. The mod began to fill the lobby of the office building. They had lost Erik’s scent but it would not take them long to find the escalators and walk up them.

“Thanks for the ride my blushing… husband.” Erik joked as he took in a breath.

“I think you mean bride but I will take that congrats from you. I didn’t think you would make it.” The Haitian smiled. “Oh, believe me. It’s coming. A whole lot is coming…” Erik fell to his knees and hacked. He puked until nothing else came out. The noise, of course attracted the attention of the mob and they began to find a way up the escalators.

“We have to go, Erik. Let’s find Kali.” Erik stood slowly hacking slightly. The Haitian offered an arm and Erik took it. They walked quickly over to the stairwell and opened the door. “Oh, my God man this rescuing crap is going to kill me.” Erik leaned against the stairwell wall and took a breath. “I can rescue her for you,” the Haitian offered. “F.. You, bastard.” Erik smiled and grabbed the railing and they began the long road up.

The small sinful bottle of caramel liquid sat quietly whispering as Erik pined to make the pain of the world fade. Whiskey never dulled the pain all the way but it kinda colored in the lines a bit. It made him forget the pain or losing his family and the pain of losing Kali. Her loss was such a terrible gut check. The empty feeling rotted within him like to creatures walking outside the glass doors in front of him. Erik had locked himself within a walk in refrigerator. One of those long rows within the grocery store that held anything that could potentially perish. The Haitian had disappeared somewhere between the houses and the center of town. He just bounced away into the night. Erik stumbled into the front door of a local grocery. The sign was broken and the windows busted. He had picked up a following. No matter how quiet he was the undead seemed to figure it out. They figured it out late but still they did. Erik managed to walk faster but his legs throbbed and his shoes had started yapping while he walked. It was as his his mother was walking behind him slapping the ground as he stepped. Eventually, he was going to collapse. The store was that moment and he stepped up and into the window. It was up high enough to cause the zombies problems but eventually they would fall into the building. Upon the shelves sat loafs and loafs of stale, hard bread. At the far end of the grocery was a aisle of chips and crackers. The crackers, likely stale would work so Erik grabbed several boxes and a bag of chips. He then grabbed some jelly and opened the bottle. He pushed his index into the sweet purple gelatin and licked his finger. He closed the jelly and searched for other items of interest. Eventually, with a metal cart, Erik had found all the food he could ever want and liquor sitting upon the shelves behind the service desk. Erik filled the cart with liquor and pushed the cart into the center aisle. The zombie pushed through the glass doors in front and tumbled over the broken windows. They began to wander forward but became entangled within the mundane grocery equipment. The carts, lined near the front of the store caused a challenge because they became a moving wall. The checkout lanes mystified a few others due to carts left in the lanes and small ropes strung between the closed ones. An unlucky zombie marched toward Erik until he dived head first over one of the ropes. The awful thump and flailing of it’s legs made Erik laugh loudly. The laugh immediately caught the attention of any other zombies in the area and Erik disappeared within one of the aisles. He chuckled quietly as he walked toward the back of the store. He noticed the refrigerator doors and opened one of them. Erik pushed the metal shelves behind the door backward. The shelves crashed loudly. Erik grabbed the food in his cart and tossed it within the doors. The liquor he opened one at a time and took a drink then place them within the doors. He moved the cart and closed the door. A zombie approached from one of the aisles and Erik smiled. Quickly, he pushed the cart forward and crushed the zombie into the aisle behind it. He laughed, lifted the cart from the zombie and threw it at him. Erik, ran from that aisle and looked for an aisle that had several zombie stumbling toward the noise. He found within the bread aisle five unsuspecting monsters stumbling toward the maniacal laughter that erupted from Erik. Erik ran down the aisle next to the five zombie. He shouted then laughed near where he thought they were and pushed the shelves toward the zombies. The row of shelves resisted so Erik took several steps back and pushed again. The shelves rocked violently and almost fell toward him but Erik stepped back and pushed again. The shelves fell forward. The product upon the shelves crashed the the ground and the aluminum fell upon the zombies within the aisle. Erik laughed hard. His gut tore from the intensity. He then ran toward the back of the store and was stopped abruptly by another zombie. Without a second thought Erik throttled the zombie with his right hand and shoved him to the ground. He then ran to the refrigerator doors, opened them and took another quick drink from each bottle. He then ran the length of the store searching for zombies to screw with. He threw rotten meat from the deli. He whipped another with an abandoned corn stalk from a long ago Thanksgiving display. He tripped several others until he grew bored. He then walked into the refrigerated doors and sat down. He watched as they passed him by without another thought. The stench from the rotten perishables seemed to make him immune. He selected a bottle of liquor and drank it in large gulps till it was finished. He attempted to drink another but disappeared into darkness.

Cold water fell over Erik’s head and shoulders and he woke up with a start. Beneath his head was a mass of liquor bottles, bread and chips. A man, not drunk would of at least moved the bottles before sleeping. “Erik, you ignorant drunk pig.”

The Haitian stood within the glass doorway. His black wings stretched outward. “Get up, brother. This is getting to be a problem and we are going to fix it.”

“Shut up, stupid flying piece of crap.” His gut wretched as his tried not to puke.

“Erik, my friend. You don’t mean that.”

“You frick’n left me. You did this to me.” Erik puked upon the floor. The liquor weighed heavily upon his head and eyelids. The projectile vomit woke him slightly as it spread across the bottle littered floor. “I haven’t done a thing, friend. I had to go feed. I pushed it off as long as I could but you got yourself drunk.”

“F_ you.”

“It’s morning, brother. You wasted a whole night drinking when you could of helped Kali.” “What did you do all night?” Erik shouted.

“I was searching for you.”

“Bullshit,” Erik spat. His gut wretched again. Erik searched the area for something to wash out the raw pieces within his mouth. He found several bottles of water and began drinking them. “F_you.”

“Erik, I searched for you all night. I found quite the talent to track familiar scents. I found you within this store. Looks like you handled yourself quite well here.”

Erik looked up to see half the aluminum shelves toppled. A few zombies struggling below them. The rest of the store seemed trashed. “Yeah, I screwed around a little last night.” He vomited again upon the floor outside the refrigerated doors. “I feel like crap.” “I imagine you do,” replied the Haitian. “I know where Kali is held.”

Erik stood up and stared at the Haitian. “You didn’t go to feed, liar bastard. You tried to rescue Kali. Let me tell you this.” Erik approached the Haitian. “Kali, is my rescue not yours. You remember that.” His stomach wretched again and he knelt. “Yeah, you really want to rescue the girl. You can’t even focus long enough on doing it to be successful. You/This is a mass of crap.” The Haitian pushed Erik to his side. “You aren’t rescuing crap like this.” The Haitian emptied another bottle of water upon Erik’s face and head.

It took Erik several hours to be able to contain the food and drink within and stand, at least partially still. By the time Erik and the Haitian walked from the front of the store it was almost noon. The Haitian spread open his wings and looked like he was going to leap into the air but he suddenly stopped. “I can lift you and leap with you upon some of these smaller buildings.” “Oh, God please don’t do that,” Erik pleaded as he held his gut. “We are giving up the ability to move faster.” “Sorry, dude. I just can’t do that right now.”

The Haitian frowned and leaped into the air and landed upon the flat roof of a nearby building. He motioned from above and moved forward. Erik walked slowly, sick to the stomach, but watching the zombie that milled within the city.

The tallest building in Ransom was the Fields building. Named after a founding member of the city. “A bunch of a-holes,” Erik said to himself as he looked up and watched the Haitian fall toward the ground. “We can leap into the building but likely will run into the other vampire.”

“We should just walk through the front door. At least that’s what I think.”

Both men walked toward the building. They stopped near a corner when they noticed a large mass of zombie in front of the building. “What the hell are we going to do, now?”

The vampires stepped into the early October afternoon air. The sun was high, the air brisk. Several peeled off and attacked the zombie milling around attempting to make a meal out of them. Kali walked slowly. A tall vampire with pale skin and a facial scar struggled to push her forward. He watched the zombie with a hungry eye as he tried to negotiate with Kali. He pushed her through the mob of zombies tossing any that got close. He was protecting Kali. A curious move that made the Haitian pause. The vampire seemed uncomfortable and eyed the zombie. The human in his hands would help but that would only last so long. The high burned for zombie venom. The venom smoked the angry parasite living within him. It masked the demands pressed upon him. It allowed happiness to leak into a hard inner shell for moments. Kali pulled hard. The vampire caught her but grasp her backpack. The backpack ripped open and fell. Stacks of clothing, knives and a single dark shadow-less stone fell to the ground. The stone stopped the vampire immediately. He leaped for it and shoved Kali into several awaiting zombie. A vampire stepped behind Kali as she fell and bit into one of the zombie. Kali tripped and pressed the vampire into the zombie. The zombie grabbed the vampire and bit back. He tore a large chunk of skin from the pale vampire skin. The vampire screamed and fought but a second zombie grabbed the vampire’s leg and bit down. The taller vampire fell over the stone. Picked it up and growled at a zombie that approached. The vampire swung at the zombie and grabbed his head with his free hand. He quickly bit into the zombie neck and began to drink. Kali stood among the chaos outside the garage.

The Haitian burst through the house door and growled. The pale vampires growled back as they dined upon the dead. Kali watched as the Haitian walked closer. Erik suddenly appeared from the back yard, confusion upon his face. He screamed as a large bird-like creature swept over his head. The creature landed gracefully within the chaos. He watched the vampire on the right struggle as more zombie fed upon him. He then turned toward the tall vampire and pressed a large clawed foot down upon his smaller head and neck. He then pressed a second claw into the shoulders of the vampire and pressed downward. The creature disabled the taller vampire and turned him upon his back with his clawed foot. The black shadow-less stone fell from the vampires grip and the creature picked it up. Someone grabbed Kali from behind and she struggled.

“Gabriel, we found the stone,” the voice shook with excitement as he spoke. The creature, Gabriel, smiled, his face and chest human. He looked at Kali then back at the pale vampire. “I have the stone. We are taking the girl too.”

“Yes, sir.” The vampire held Kali tighter then handed her over to Gabriel. Gabriel quickly placed the stone within a pocket. He wrapped his arms around Kali and leaped into the sky.

The sudden flight surprised both the Haitian and Erik. They leaped for Gabriel and Kali but they rose out of reach quickly. Erik cursed loudly. Gabriel looked back as he disappeared toward the center of the city.

“God damn it!” Erik shouted. “Why can’t I protect that girl?”

“Brother, you are not alone,” the Haitian said as he watched Gabriel disappear within the corroded hole of the tallest building in Ransom. “I will go with you and we will find Kali.”

“Damn right, we will.” Erik swung an ax wildly at an zombie that crept toward them. He partially decapitated the zombie causing it to fall. “Damn it.”

—– End of Chapter —-

Erik and the Haitian killed the remaining zombie. The vampire, partially eaten screamed for his mother. He bled from every limb. His wings featherless. “Your going to die.” Erik told the vampire. “Tell me where your buddies went.” The vampire cried.

“Come on, man!” Erik picked up the vampire by the torn shirt he wore. “Tell me where your kind stay. I am going to give that freak Gabriel a god damn boot enema.” The vampire looked up at Erik. The human within him appeared and he frowned. “What’s happening to you. You look different.” The vampire sighed and pointed toward the tall building that Gabriel flew into. “Yeah, I get that,” Erik looked at the dark black hole within the building. He looked down and the vampire hung from the t-shirt that Erik held. Life had drained from his pale body.

Erik and the Haitian soaked the bodies in gasoline and burned them. They hoped this would attract the horde from the neighborhood and allow an escape route toward the center of the city.

Erik and the Haitian watched as the bodies burned. The stench of burning flesh seared their noses but it seemed to attract the horde. It also had the unintended affect of burning the ones dumb enough to stumble into the burning mass. Enough walked into it to cause the garage to catch on fire. A large mass of undead stumbled toward the flames. Erik and the Haitian walked behind the houses, fending of a single zombie on occasion. The found a route between the undead and headed for the center of the city.

“What do you know about this Gabriel?” Erik asked. “I saw him on Michigan Avenue. When I thought you were dead.”

“He fathered me. He turned me. The vampire saved my life but gave me an awful prize for it. An angry parasite that turns all emotion and thought into rage and hunger.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You know,” the Haitian said with a partial smile, “I can’t do anything about it now. Save your apologies for later.”

“Sure, ok,” Erik replied. “Why the hell, did they take Kali.”

“I don’t know,” the Haitian paused. “I heard the Network talking about a black stone similar to the one Kali dropped from her sack. Seems like a valuable item within the walls.” “Must be.”

“What else did they tell you about this stone?” Erik asked.

“They mentioned it had the power to cure the infection but could only be used every 7 days. Someone had stolen it several days ago. They then argued over that. It seems a lot of it is misunderstood. The called it the God Stone.”

“How did Kali get a hold of that stone, I wonder?” Erik asked.

“Those two people at Station One, remember the ones protecting Kali?”

“Yeah.”

“They were not her parents. I heard them talking. Kali blackmailed them into getting arrested. Apparently, she wanted to get back inside.”

“No way!”

Erik and the Haitian crossed Michigan avenue and made there way into the city. Zombie stumbled forward but became focused on the noise from the large garage fire.

“You all should be happy we ain’t pushing you out the front door!” Ox shouted as he forced Erik and the Haitian out the upstair window. The blood from the knife plunged into Michael’s chest still dripped from his fingers. Kali sobbed uncontrollably from the other side of the room. The Haitian vampire had been pushed out the front door. Erik watched as the zombies mobbed their prey. That’s when Ox attacked Michael and took on the responsibility of removing Erik from the house. Any sanity the man had once had disappeared. “Kali’s coming with me!” Erik screamed. He stepped toward her but Ox quickly counter and placed the point of the knife under Erik’s chin. Erik snarled. “You are a crazy asshole. I will feed you to the undead if she gets hurt.” “Get out of my house!” Ox pulled the knife away. The others within the house watched helplessly from behind him. Most were in shock because of the sudden violence upon one of their own. “You take care of Kali,” he addressed the house and crawled out the window quickly. He then shouted through the second window, “I will come back for you,” he promised. Ox leaped forward and pushed the knife through the window. It tore a one-inch cut within Erik’s face and he fell upon his back. He held his face. The blood falling down his left cheek. He winced but noticed within the sky above him the large shapes of winged men. He instantly forgot about the cut and screamed back into the house. “Vampire! vampire! Go, get out of the house now!” Ox stood for a second then looked out and up into the sky. He say the monsters and disappeared into the house. Several woman ushered Kali from the room. Erik was left alone on the roof unable to decide what to do. He didn’t have much time because within moments the vampire began to fall upon the roof. They noticed him quickly and walked slowly, arrogantly toward him. Erik stepped carefully backward but approached the edge of the roof quickly. A vampire, a young man no older then 20 landed softly upon the roof and approached him. His pupils within his eyes were drawn out. His face was worn and tired but he was full of energy. “Hi, skin bag,” he said with a smile. Not here to bite you.” The vampire laughed loudly. “Your blood tastes like trash. I am just bored and looking for more zombie to snack on.” The vampire then shoved Erik backward. The security beneath Erik’s feet disappeared. Fear enveloped him as he fell from the house. The vampire’s grin appeared as he fell back. The holes and missing pieces of ivory within his extended jawline made him look like a vampire addicted to child candy. “Kali!” —— End of Chapter The Haitian caught Erik just before he hit the ground but the impact knocked him unconscious. The Haitian picked him up easily and walked him over to a small shed in the backyard. The wooden shed had a small open door. He checked the shed and placed Erik down gently. He ensured that the door was closed and turned around. There were seven vampire upon the house and sliding within the windows. The zombie mob slowly walked toward the Haitian. He had manicured the numbers slightly in his struggle to stay alive but they could still overwhelm the strongest vampire. The vampire that tried to kill Erik leaped from the roof and glide down upon the ground. The feathers within his wings were missing in large sections like his teeth. The Haitian flexed his wings and prepared for a fight. “Uwwwww, you have wings too. You are a brother vampire. I’m so happy to meet you lover of that skin bag. You two boyfriend-boyfriend.” The Haitian said nothing. His wings preparing to assist when needed. “We vampire need to stick together with our own kind. I will have to teach you a thing of two bud. I haven’t seen you before. You must be new. Who’s your daddy? I wonder.” The two vampire circled each other. Till the smaller vampire leaped for the small shack. The Haitian struck but the smaller vampire parried the blow and shoved the large black vampire to his back. Quickly, he knelt upon the Haitian. “Who’s your daddy, bitch?” The Haitian growled. His eyes flared and he spoke sharply, “Gabriel converted me!” The vampire pressed down upon the Haitian but said nothing. His smile dropped. “That’s not possible,” he finally said. The Haitian took that moment of surprise and slide to the right. The vampire fell forward. The Haitian connected with a knee to the head and watched as he fell to the ground. He then crushed his spine easily at the neck. The zombie from the front of the house began to crowd the side of the house. The Haitian grabbed the vampire and tossed him into the crowd. The vampire growled and screamed as the zombie tore him apart as he watched from his disabled position. Another vampire watched from above. “Come on, brother,” the Haitian taunted then ran toward the house. The vampire above him leaped upon the peak of the house then into the sky. He disappeared quickly toward the center of the city. The Haitian leaped, adrenaline pulsing through is monster organs. He landed upon the roof. The other vampire had tore the windows from the frames making it easier to enter. The Haitian entered the house and walked slowly down the stairs. The vampire had tore through the house. Blood decorated the walls as bodies lie motionless upon the floor. The Haitian turned right. Found the map gone. The vampire now had a treasure map to the rest of the Network. He left the dining room. The remaining vampire had followed the survivors to the kitchen and likely into the garage. Before he disappeared into the tunnel to the garage the Haitian searched the house thoroughly but Kali was gone. He then walked and searched the entire house for Kali. Any part of her but he found nothing. He walked through the kitchen and noticed the vampire began to file out of the garage.

The map was crudely drawn out. A large thread weaved is way through the center taped with clear tape in several location. A red circle marked 16 houses through out the small city center. A blue circle marked the smaller stations usually an older restaurant. Along the outside of the map was the wall. This was marked in green and the line was sloppy. Every few feet there was a red line that indicated the guns.

“What is that?” Erik asked after he noticed a lone black circle. “That’s are idea where the vampire may be.” “So you think they are located near Main and First?”

“Possibly,” said Michael. “They are likely underground.”

Someone screamed from the other room and the entire house disappeared into the other room. Stacy was fighting several zombies. They had managed to loosen the plywood protecting the window in front of her. Immediately, three men jumped forward and pushed the plywood back to the frame. Erik had some nails left and attempted to nail the plywood back into the frame. The frame of the old window was soft and it could not hold the weight of several zombies pushing upon it. They pushed the plywood back and the group fought back. Erik asked Kali to find several long boards so they could nail that upon the plywood. As he waited he watched the window on the left bow and slowly retract from the frame of the window.

Erik banged in several additional nails but is wasn’t helpful. The window to his left pushed out a little further. “Don’t they ever, god damn stop!”

“We need some more people on this other window.” Three people stood in front of the window on the left but soon disappeared. The window was still secure but they hadn’t noticed the weakness within the frame. Kali appeared with a long plank. Erik grabbed the plank and helped place it along the center of the plywood. The ends of the plank stuck out from the window slightly. Erik hammered the left end while another group member banged in the right. Erik took the second plank and the group placed it upon the bottom of the frame. Just after Erik hammered the last nail the window on the right fell to the ground. Three zombie pushed forward and attempted to squeeze into the house. Erik hesitated because if this fix upon this window didn’t work then two windows would be down. The window held securely and the group moved to the second window. The zombie fought the group. Their long broken hands and arms flailing everywhere. The group tried desperately to push the plywood upon the frame with the hands and arms splayed out the sides. No one was desperate enough to grab the hands and push them back. Suddenly, from behind them someone with great strength pushed the plywood forward. Erik looked back and saw the Haitian standing over him. His large black wings folded upon his back. The opportunity to push some of these zombies back within the window overtook his anxiety over the vampire-traits the Haitian had picked up. Quickly, Erik gathered the arms, as they tried desperately to grab him and separate him from the house. Kali offered several additional planks of wood and gave the Haitian a wide-wide berth. The Haitian though, his tall monstrous frame hanging over the rest of the group smiled pleasantly.

Within seconds after the window was secured someone hit the vampire in the spine causing him to wince. His wings stretched outward and he growled. Erik stood beneath him and quivered as the monster stared but Erik could read within the Haitian something familiar. He could read within those dark eyes an attempt to settle the beast buried within him. Erik could feel the truth about this monster and the battle that raged. Another blow clipped the Haitian’s wings and he growled. Erik stepped from the tall shadow and stood in the way.

“Get out of the way Erik. This monster is going to kill us.” Several people shouted at the same time. “No,” Erik countered. “He is not. The window is holding because of him. The man has saved my life many times in the short time I have known him.”

Ox appeared from the dining room table. His face burst with crimson. He darted for the Haitian but Erik met him and shoved him to the ground. Ox fell hard but stood within moments. He turned and shouted.

“Oh my God,” Micheal said as his ran into the room. “He is not going to hurt anyone,” Erik pleaded.

“My friend,” the Haitian began with a smile, “I can speak for myself.”

The noise in the room disappeared within an instant leaving the persistent banging upon the outside of the house. “I am a vampire, not by choice but I have the ability to choose my path in life. I did not chose to hurt you as you beat me within the basement. I did not kill anyone when I escaped. I will not hurt anyone within this house.”

“Bull crap…bull crap… BULL CRAP!” Shouted Ox as he pulled a long knife from his hip.

“Stop,” Micheal said as he stepped forward. “No one is getting stabbed.” Ox attempted to argue but Micheal stopped him abruptly. “No one is killing anyone!”

The Haitian folded his wings behind him. Erik stood beside him with Kali standing a small distance away.

Edit

“They killed my family!” Ox shouted. He stood, shaking the table and the food upon it. He then grabbed the steel chair behind him and flung it into the wall. “Ox, stop! You have attracted the mob outside. You have endangered the entire house,” Micheal tried not to counter the volume and angry that Ox had. He knew what would happen if the entire neighborhood of un-dead joined in pummeling the house. “Please sit down,” he pleaded. Ox stared at the group. His face red and teeth bared. “Ox, you have caused additional problems. We need to secure the house.”

The large man placed his hands upon the table and took a deep breath. He waited for the sound of death upon the walls of the house. Within moments the un-dead began to beat upon the covered windows. They began to push against the front door. The symphony of hunger began.

“There are hammers behind me in the drawers. We have a few boxes of nail left so you will have to share. Everyone, grab a window and secure it. Any nail out of place pound it. Any slight chance they can come in you cover it up. Let’s go.” Michael shouted, grabbed the drawer of hammers and dumped them on the table. Erik grabbed a hammer quickly and headed for the first window. He banged upon each nail just to make sure it was secure. The zombie responded to the noise and pounded harder. The remaining glass within the window shattered. The wooden barrier bowed with each strike. Erik moved to the next window and did the same thing. The rest of the house was a flurry of activity as everyone stood at the windows and doors. Any entrance that could be an entrance was guarded. Erik recalled the vampire attack. “What about upstairs?”

“They can’t climb walls,” stated a young black women walking past Erik. “The vampire can,” Erik replied.

“Stacy, Erik and Donald check the status of the windows upstairs. Any sign of tampering or entrance sound and alarm. Ox, we need to have our exit plan ready in case they come in.” Micheal shouted as he walked behind them. Erik followed the black woman, Stacy and Donald, an older gentleman up the stairs. The second floor held four rooms two on the left side and two on the right. A small bathroom sat near the stairs. Stacy turned left. Donald disappeared into the first room on the right and Erik beside that one. Within the room was a double-paned window and a single bed. Outside the window he could see the porch roof. A perfect perch for vampire but fortunately the early morning sun displayed only the chaos outside the house. Zombies stumbled toward the house. Attracted by the noise from their monster companions. Even outside the tall fence that held back the grass the zombie surged toward the house. An awful, familiar feeling struck Erik as he recalled the swaying of the walls within Station One. The attempt to contain the surge and the betrayal by the vampire.

“All good here,” shouted Stacy followed by Donald. Erik stood silently watching the mob of undead outside. The overwhelming numbers of death chilled him. “Erik!” Someone paged from behind him then again.

Erik turned to see Donald staring at him. “Are we good?”

“Yes, we are good,” Erik replied.

Back downstairs Micheal and the others in the house stood within the dining room. Kali approached Erik and stood respectfully beside him. Upon the table was a large map of the city.

Erik awoke the next day. Outside the windows in the bedroom the sun was barely peaking over the horizon. The world within the bedroom had been stunningly silent. Any fear of an undead invasion disappeared when his body shutdown. He had fought the exhaustion but ultimately lost the battle.

Erik peeled off the blankets within the small bad and placed his feet upon the floor. He was still tired but the overwhelming weight of anxiety and grief had mellowed. Erik dressed and walked down the stairs. He expected chaos and madness but it was quiet except for whispers from somewhere within the house. Erik search and found the group of survivors enjoying breakfast in a far room of the house. Ox and Kali sat comfortably upon steel chairs. The others chattered quietly as a brunette man sat and listened at the head of the table.

“Hey, it’s Erik. Welcome to breakfast,” Ox said with a smile. He then stood and offered Erik a chair. Erik sat down cautiously watching all of them but the brunette man caught his attention. He didn’t talk to anyone. He just listened. He seemed to enjoy just watching the group. It was a bit unnerving.

“Erik, this is Micheal. He is the director. You are quite lucky you get to meet the director on your first visit to a safe house.” Michael nodded politely. He wore a great deal of confidence within a t-shirt and jeans. His brunette hair was neatly trimmed and he had no facial hair. The pleasantries disappear after the introduction and Micheal stood.

“Alright.” His chair scratching loudly upon the floor. “We can start the breakfast meeting. We have a full agenda but only an hour. I have to be back at House 1 in a couple hours. “First up we lost two stations this week and a house just yesterday. I want to know what’s going on around here. The north-side of the city is not having any problems.”

“Director, the vampire are attacking the houses.”

“That’s nuts, we have never had a problem with the vampire. Why are they attacking the Network,” Michael asked. “They are psychotic?” Erik added abruptly. “Yeah, I get that. What are we going to do about it?”

“We don’t know, Director. They are not stupid. They are heartless and intelligent. Just humans with a hunger.”

“What about fortification?” Micheal asked. “Not helpful. They just tear it down”

“We will have to find some sort of a truce,” Micheal added.

“Truce!” “They killed my family. What will a truce do!” Ox stood, anger evident upon his large face. “I’m sorry Ox. What do you want me to say? We are outnumbered and out gunned. We live in fear that our own flesh and blood is going to tear us up and eat us now we have super-humans trying to slaughter us.”

“They didn’t kill me,” Erik spoke and the room went quiet. “They left me to die in a house of horror but didn’t kill me.”

“How is that any help, Erik? They are still heathens,” Ox countered. “I don’t know. I just know that they could of killed me but they didn’t. Maybe they weren’t hungry anymore. I don’t frickn know.”

The new clothes felt clean. The black boots massaged his sore feet. Minus the rough treatment it actually felt good to be among the living and paranoid again. The three men lead Erik to an escape hatch within the garage floor and beneath the ground. The tunnel below was lit every couple feet. The entrance was open on the other end. The men led Erik into the house. This house had no fake room and no other tunnel within it.

“Welcome, to house 6. I hear from Kali that your name is Erik. My name is Gregory, but most these guys call me Ox.”

Erik smiled and shook the large man’s hand. He was broad-shouldered and muscular. He was certainly a beast of a man. “This is Anderson and Michael, we are House Patrol. Sorry for the rough treatment but it’s necessary and most don’t make it this far.”

“Yeah, you guys are assholes…” “Erik!”

Kali flew into the room and grasp Erik around the waist. Erik struggled with the suddenness. The sudden realization that someone looked forward to seeing him. “Kali, I’m so glad you are still alive.” The words were thick and barely fell from his lips. “What happened to the big guy?” Erik asked. Kali looked up and smiled. “He’s OK, the Network has him.”

“The Network?”

“Let me tell you a story,” Ox said as he put a large arm over his shoulder. “Dude, you need to stay away from me,” Erik stepped away. “Too much.”

Ox lead Erik and Kali into the large living room. Several survivors appeared from the rooms to see what was going on. They then quickly disappeared. Ox explained to Erik about the Network. The purpose of shipping survivors from house to house. Creating safe passage for victims of the world outside the walls of the city. A surprising, thriving society within hell on earth. Ox detailed the smaller refill stations like Station 1 and the houses like 5 and 6, where they sat now. They also ran a hospital within the city but the frightening thing about Ox’s details were the vampire. They were a new phenomenon. Something unexpected. Ox explained that the vampire were still human but held super human strength and endurance. The wings, of course were an added bonus but they could only coast. The human body was still very heavy and wings were unnatural.

“They seem to be unafraid of the zombies?”

“That’s a good point,” Ox said. “They are fearless but that is mostly due to the increased dopamine levels within the undead. We have no professional doctors within the Network but whatever is infecting the dead changes the internal organization of the body. It combines some organs and increases others. Dopamine seems to be an important part of the functioning of the zombies. ”

“Are you telling me the vampire are getting high off the zombies? That’s not right. Not even close to right”

“Hey, dude,” Ox stood and clapped Erik on the shoulder. “Are you saying any of this crap going on is natural?” Erik grumbled and Ox quickly apologized.

“Hey, you want to see your big black friend. He is quite the sight. He has been very helpful to the Network.” “Helpful! That friend tried to kill Kali and I several times.” Ox laughed and claimed that was not possible. He then helped Erik stand and they walked toward the basement. “He is a big fan of you. Talks about you all the time.”

Erik followed Ox down the stairs. Kali followed. The basement was dimly lite except in a far corner. Within that corner stood the shadow of a large winged creature. “I can’t do this,” Erik stated. “Dude, you will be alright. He is restrained but I really don’t think that’s necessary he is really cooperative.”

Erik watched as they walked toward the shadow. Erik saw the restraints. Thick homemade rope nailed into a brick wall. The wings were secured tightly and near the center the Haitian stood. His 6 foot plus frame standing uncomfortably beside a wall. The Haitian smiled but Erik spun upon his ankles and left. The others shouted but Erik tuned them off. He disappeared up the stairs and found another survivor.

“Can you find me a glass of water?”

Erik found the kitchen and grabbed a glass. The kitchen was covered in shelves. Food on the right side of the kitchen and water on the right. Erik grabbed a gallon of water and poured it into his glass. He then grabbed some cans of food and searched for a can opener. “Can I get a goddamn can opener?” He shouted after several unsuccessful minutes searching.

“Dude,” Ox appeared within the doorway of the kitchen. “All items in this kitchen are partitioned. We save everything. Everything is organized.”

“Oh, really! Is that organization count that first frickn station over there!”

“What about all those people that lost there lives in the house a mile back? Is that goddamn organization?”

The color fell from the man’s face. Ox fell upon the shelf beside him. “Erik, they are all trying to help!” Shouted Kali. The sudden burst shocked Erik and he stared. Kali tried to help but several other survivors rushed to Ox’s side. “He lost his girlfriend and daughter in that house!”

“Oh my God, you are having children in this place!” Erik was floored that someone would try to become normal within the chaotic environment that was within the walls. “What the hell is wrong with you people?”

“You need to leave this house, Erik!” Ox shouted from the other room. Kali intervened and pleaded for forgiveness. Erik was ready to leave. He didn’t need this corrupted thought on life but he was curious to why Kali was defending him. Erik was having trouble contemplating why this little girl was trying so hard to protect him.

“The man is an asshole,” Erik heard Ox arguing but Kali and the other survivors countered that the Network was for all survivors. They were not going to remove the precious resource of security from anyone.

“I don’t care, guys. Whatever!” Find him a room and we will continue this discussion tomorrow morning at breakfast. A beautiful brunette woman stepped from the mob surrounding Ox and offered Erik a small can opener. “We don’t have electricity here but some houses do. You will have to eat it cold.”

“I’m fine with that,” Erik said then added. “I’m sorry, I tend to speak my mind when I’m angry.” The woman smiled. “It’s ok, let’s just get through the night. You need some rest. Open the cans and take them with you. Get some food in your belly and a good nights rest. We can discuss more tomorrow.”

The early morning sun shone through the abandoned buildings that used to be Ransom. The buildings held large jagged black spots where sections fell due to neglect. The grass grew long everywhere making travel even more dangerous. Erik watched the zombies stumble past oblivious of their dinner watching from 25 feet away. It was a strange mockery of an ordinary day in Ransom. The zombies walked in pairs with the occasional loner pulling up the rear. They seemed like harmless stumblers set with sensitive proximity sensors. Sensors that Erik care less to mess with. Right now, he was content to watch and day dream about the day before the infection caught hold. Men and woman driving past manicured lawns. Pissed off over simple inconveniences like a long line in the grocery stood or a pizza delivery that was 5 minutes late. “A pizza would be wonderful right about now,” Erik thought as he walked toward the garage on the left side of the house. He peeked carefully around the corner searching for zombie. Several hung around the open garage door any weapons would be unavailable for now. The chair legs he left near the side of the house were worthless so it looked like he would have to walk.

Tired, Erik sat upon the side of the porch watching the zombie mill around. He noticed a number 5 was painted on the garage door. He failed to see this when he first approached the garage. The paint was not worn and broken like most everything else within the city. The paint was dry but like rats the zombies had to touch it, investigate it and try to eat this new type of smell. Instinctual creatures the zombies seemed to rely upon the sense of smell and attack anything that doesn’t have the scent of normal to them. A zombie surprised Erik and appeared close to the edge of the porch. Erik sat quietly. Short tremors of fear shook his ankles and shoulders but the teenage zombie bounced off a broken flower pot and fell down. Erik stood slowly and walked to the right toward the edge of the porch. Occasionally, the zombies would walk through the front yards of the homes but most times they seemed content to take the mass transit that was the broken service drive. Erik stepped from the porch and walked slowly toward the next house. The windows were not boarded up and he watched through the windows as he walked past. Within the house he could see a pair of zombie, a man and a woman, walking from the front of the house to a bedroom. They disappeared and the door slowly closed behind him. Erik laughed to himself. The thought of stalking a zombie couple and seeing then disappear for some “alone time” was humor that had been missing lately.

His wife used to do the strangest things just to make Erik laugh but that was before… That was long before the divorce and the frantic call that a neighbor was trying to bust down the front door of her new home. Erik showed up in time only to see the human neighbor tearing handfuls of flesh and muscle from the waist of a good sized dog.

Erik knew of the infection at that time but was out of town on business. He saw some stories on the news but did not pay much attention. He didn’t expect to see the lesions in the eyes and the monstrous horror that it forced these people to do. He watched this monster of a man sitting upon his knees eating a family dog upon the lawn of his wife’s house. Erik approached the neighbor but the man never moved. He was engrossed in the meal. Erik left him alone and walked into the house. His wife was a wreck. Sobbing uncontrollably within the kitchen. She explained the situation and the frightening knocks upon the door. The neighborhood had become infected soon after Erik had left. It spread quickly from house to house. That’s when the scream tore through the house. It shook the world that Erik lived it. His young 9 year old daughter stood at the doorway. Erik had failed to close it. The neighbor had finished with the dog and had entered the house. Nothing stood between the neighbor and the small arms that swatted at the monster. He grabbed her and quickly bit into her neck. Blood fell from Erik’s face as he watched his daughter die. His wife charged as he watched. She tried to save him but the neighbor dropped his daughter and fought with Erik’s wife. Erik leaped forward grabbed a table lamp and through it at the neighbors chest. Next he grabbed a small table and pushed the man from the door. Quickly, his wife closed the door but the damage had already been done. His daughter lay unconscious upon the floor. Her neck busted open and blood staining the floor beneath her. There was no saving her but his accidents haunt him. He failed to protect his daughter. His wife, inconsolable, threatened to kill Erik so he left. Another regret.

Outside the steps of the house, Erik stood remembering the tragedy. He watched as the zombie couple pushed open the bedroom door and stumbled forward. The humor of the situation gone. The humor of the world had disappeared into the undead sky.

Erik managed to walk from house to house. Watching the inhabitants of the houses mill around searching for food that they were never going to find. After a mile Erik found a small girl staring out a front window. She was blond and it took a good couple seconds for Erik to realize who it was. Kali stood within the window and smiled when she saw him. She quickly disappeared into another room as Erik approached the house. Erik looked within the windows to see people milling about. These were not zombies. They didn’t just stumble around from room to room gnawing at nothing. Within moments several men appeared from within a garage door. They carried long sharpened metal posts and quickly and silently exterminated any zombie within 20 feet of the building. They motioned quietly for Erik to walk toward them. Amazed at the sight of real people he slowly disappeared from the window and joined the men.

The men lead him into the garage and shut the door. Large wooden slides secured the door. The men then stared at Erik and grabbed his blood-stained dirty clothes. Violently, they tore the clothes from his chest. Erik instantly objected but stopped when they threatened to run him through with the metal posts. With his shirt torn and tossed upon the floor, the men examined him for bites or wounds but Erik had none. They then instructed Erik to remove his shoes first then pants and undershorts. A sudden, incredibly cold, burst of water from a hose and then a towel.

“There is a set of clothes upon the bench on the other side of the garage. You may walk over there to get them.” A large man, dressed in old army camouflage, pointed a long arm toward a corner of the room. Erik walked slowly, freezing naked across the concrete floor. Upon a shelf, stacked neatly were a pair of old army camouflaged clothes and a black pair of boots with white socks stuffed within them.

“White socks? Really?” Erik said. Adrenaline increased the volume of his voice and he heard the men laugh. “Just put on some damn clothes survivor. I’m tired of looking at your white ass.”

Erik hit the ground hard. His shoulders, arms and legs all bled as he sat upon the tall grass. The closet within the house creaked then collapsed seconds after he escaped. Outside the house the sun sat high upon the sky. The warmth of the early fall felt comfortable but that comfort was soon dashed by the carnivores that almost took his life. Kali was also gone. She disappeared within the tunnels that seemed to frighten the crap out of her. Erik could barely contain the thought that she lost her life because he could not protect her. Similarities to his daughters last moments struck him hard as he watched the undead hands and arms search his escape route from the home. Thoughts of zombie suicide drummed a steady beat within his head. A crowd of these monsters could extinguish his tormented life within seconds but he had a reason for living. “Why? Why do you want to live.” He asked as he began to hear footstep approach from the left. Erik turned to find a large zombie approach. The zombie was twice the size of Erik and built like a house. A large black arm hung below his chest. A thin sheet of skin holding it too the body. Anger erupted and Erik stood quickly. He grabbed the arm and pulled taking the zombie to the ground. The zombie screamed. A blood-soaked gurgled that was unexpected. Erik tore the arm from the body and held the wrist between both hands. Erik slammed the torn ligaments and bones down upon the zombies face and skull. Blood soaked the tan siding of the house next door. ligaments and muscle within the arm flailed wildly. The zombie struggled to stand. The leverage needed was within Erik’s rage filled hands. Every frustrated, hateful emotion was slammed into the large zombie. The arm wasn’t enough to kill the zombie so Erik crushed the zombie’s rotten skull with his heel. With all the noise Erik was surprised others didn’t follow. He through the arm to the ground and walked toward the front of the houses. The wooden deck on the left stood waist high to Erik and he pulled himself up and walked to the center of the house. He looked upon the city that used to be his home.

“Son of a Bitch! I can’t believe I’m back in a god damn frickn box. Oh my God, let me the hell out of here!” Erik continued while he banged upon the iron door that sat in from of him. Erik paused to take a breath.

“Brother, keep on fighting. You are worth more alive then dead.” A familiar voice echoed from behind him. That sweet Caribbean juxtaposition of French and Spanish calmed him immediately. “Jean, my God it’s nice to hear your voice.” Erik said as he look behind him within the darkness. Behind him he only saw a pair of glowing globes floating just below his chest. “What the hell!” Erik stepped backward and fell upon the floor. Beneath him he felt the scale and slime that was the sirens tail. “What the fuck!” The pair of green eyes approached within the darkness. “Stay the hell where your at.” Erik ordered. “What was that voice you did, freako?” “I’m sorry,” the siren spoke sweetly but Erik burned with rage. “Who are you?”

“I am the one they call Siren. I can mimic other sounds. It is my talent.” Siren approached. Her eyes moved within the darkness. “I said don’t move,” Erik insisted as he tried to move backward. “I will not hurt you,” Siren insisted. “Your Haitian friend insisted I pass on those words when I saw you.”

“That’s fine,” Erik replied. “Next time I insist you warn me first.” “I’m sorry,” Siren repeated. “Fine, now what the hell are we doing? Can’t you make those shadow puppets again?” “I cannot,” Siren said. “I can only manipulate the light from within darkness but I see no light from within this room.” “Oh, ok…” Erik replied and then searched his pockets for a flashlight. With nothing within his pockets he searched the shelves around him. “Hey, green-eyes! Can’t you see in the dark?” “I can,” Siren replied. “Find my a damn flashlight.” Erik watched as the pair of orbs disappeared then returned. The darkness began to fade and he could barely see the thin figure of the half human creature. “I do not know of this flashlight,” she said after moments of searching. “You don’t know of this flashlight? You don’t know what a flashlight is? Your not of this world are you?”

Erik watched as the siren blinked several times then the orbs sank. “I am not of this world. Gabriel found a way to pull some of us from the world outside of this one. I am a resident of Sarus. I don’t know how I got here.” “That explains a lot,” Erik replied. “A flashlight is a tool that produces light. Let me see if I can find anything. Erik searched the darkness for anything cylindrical. He struck something and searched for a switch. He pushed up and out from the darkness shot a ray of white light. The flashlight highlighted the siren’s surprise. He normally smallish round eyes increased in size two-fold. Erik also noticed the blood upon her body. Her simple clothing was torn revealing half a right breast. “I’m so sorry,” Erik said quickly and pulled the flashlight off to the left. The green eyes reappeared. Erik could see, even in the darkness, a sadness within the human shape. “What happened at the sky scraper?” Erik asked.

Siren began to sob. The natural human reaction was to console so Erik stood. With the flashlight down and away Erik walked over broken tools and stood next to the half human creature. He placed a soft hand upon her shoulder. “How many did we lose?” Siren melted and sobbed loudly. She told him about the battle. The human prisoners fought bravely against overwhelming odds. The sirens initially attempted to avoid the fight but reinforcements rushed into the floor from the stairs. Siren’s sisters fought the vampire and Echidna was lost to the god Ozye. My other sister Scylla was captured by the Network and no not of her status.” Erik tried to hug the siren but felt uncomfortable and stopped. “What of my other friend?” Siren settled down and spoke carefully. “Your large friend died.” “Who?” “The one with the strange legs.” “Oh my god, that was Brittany. That’s terrible. How about the vampire you mimicked?” Siren sucked in a breath and sighed. “He was taken by Gabriel’s vampire. I don’t know of his status.” “It’s ok,” said Erik. “Let’s figure out how to get out of here. We can then find your sister and grab Kali. Then we rescue Jean and kill that beast who calls himself Gabriel.”

Suddenly, the light from the flashlight began to flicker. The edges began to fade then rip from the darkness around it. “Wait, we need to do this carefully. There are many vampire out there. Can you open that door slowly?”

Erik watched as the light from his flashlight slid over to the door of the room. Like liquid the light melted into the door lock and soon began to turn the steel knob. Within moments the door was slightly ajar. Erik was ecstatic. “You are one awesome woman.”

The queen of the vampire was less a vampire then a beauty queen. Her long brown hair was tied up behind her head revealing a tail that laid upon her shoulder. Her eyes were brown, round romantics donuts in the center of her perfectly pale orbs. Her face was roundish and contained a small nose and perfect lips. “You have no sharp chompers?” Erik noticed as he followed the skeletal structure of her wings behind her. “You still have a pair of wings. They selling them at the local hardware store?”

The queen smiled. The smile lit up the dank, iron-covered room. “Welcome, you may call me Angel.” “No kidding,” Erik said quietly.

“Welcome to the Network.”

“What?” Erik asked. An impossibility with all the vampire walking around. “This is the network. We stay under the ground to avoid the zombies. We have stations throughout Ransom to help new survivors. Most end up here as you have.”

“Well, that wasn’t really my choice,” Erik replied. “I am so sorry about that,” the queen replied. “You see Kali insisted on rescuing you from the Gabriel’s building and there was a misunderstanding.” “I’d say… wait a minute… did you say Kali?”

“Yes, I did. She seems to know you very well.”

Erik stammered, “Well… I don’t know about that but I’ve been looking for her.”

“Let me show you to her?” The queen offered and turned and one quick motion. She wore a beautiful white dress and Erik noticed upon her feet were combat boots. The guards walked forward, ridged and disciplined. Erik followed.

Kali sat quietly within a small room with no windows and a thick door. The queen stood off the the side as the guards slowly unlocked the door and began to open it. Erik interrupted, “I thought you were “civilized”. Why the hell is she locked up?” The guards quickly closed the door and turned to the queen. The queen smiled and looked upon Erik. “I regret to inform you but Kali is no longer human.”

Anger bubbled up quickly and he struggled to tamp down his furious temper. “Did you goddamn monsters turn a little frick’n girl. What kind of crap is that? She was fine when I left her and you had to… What? Save her!. Explain this to me. Please?” One of the guards unfurled his wings and stepped forward. Erik screamed at the group in from of him till someone from behind restrained him.

“Take him to the holding cells till he calms down. We can’t risk the increase of emotion in front of the girl.” The guards grabbed Erik and forced him forward. Erik screamed and fought but the vampire were too strong. Within moments they had shoved him within a small windowless room.

Erik stood in the middle of a revolution. The survivors within the cages bolted toward the other vampire. Many fell immediately. The hopeless patter of lesser humans to the over-powering vampire. Erik watched from behind as Jean, the Haitian fought viciously. Even he, the barer of virtue, would accidentally behead a survivor that stepped within his path of rage. The vampire within the city seemed full of rage. Very much unlike the Bela Lugosi lore that romanticized them. These vampire relished the destruction and the all out blood that it was to be a vicious monster. Suddenly, Erik knees gave from under him and he fell backward. He hit the floor hard and his teeth crunched. Above him stood a young woman, eleven-years old, and ready to kill him. The last thing he saw was Kali growling then the world disappeared into darkness.

Erik woke up. He was bound and trapped within a small steel closet. The air smelled moist and water seemed to drip from everywhere. Erik’s head throbbed. The little hair he had upon his head was mashed into tight patches of blood. The dried blood pulled his hair as he tried to stand. A window, the glass thick and dirty, began at his jaw and went up about two-feet. Erik could make out large winged figures walking around outside. He could hear the chatter of, what sounded like, hundreds of vampire. His head rang and he fell backward against cold concrete. Pipes and small things began to fall around him making an eruption of noise the made him shake. The door to the closet suddenly opened and he was bathed in light. He squinted and turned as he tried to readjust his eyesight. Two large, blurry figures grabbed him and pulled him from the darkness. He stumbled forward but they caught him. They stopped to allow Erik to regain his footing then urged him to step forward. As Erik’s vision returned he found that the two figures were dressed in an outlandish red uniforms. Black rows of feathers lined the edges of the uniform and a large, tailored hole near the wings revealed a muscular back that would make any weightlifter jealous. The wings of the vampire were straight and never moved as they lead Erik to a tall metallic staircase. The staircase was too thin for the uniformed guards to walk beside him so they gently pushed him forward as they walked single-file behind him. Erik scanned the new environment while he walked.

He was no longer within the office building. He guessed he was now below ground. The iron structure of the large room was something he had seen in many movies as a kid. It was usually the setting of a railway of some type, but underground. The light, bright as is was when he was pulled from the closet was dim and tinted red. Emergency lights near the corners of the room provided some light but the main source of light seemed to come from the center of the room were hundreds of vampire milled around wooden shacks that held clothing and food. Erik stopped abruptly and the vampire behind him shoved him, unintentionally. “Wait a minute.. wait a minute. What the hell is this? I see human food down there not blood and guts. Isn’t that your staple of utmost desire?” Erik turned and stared at the two guards. Their red uniform tied up nicely to large black collars that covered half their faces. Their faces where long and skinny to hold the incisors that populated their large mouths. Their demeanor was unusually kind. “We are not the monsters from the world above,” one of the guards said as he pointed toward the iron ceiling above. Erik looked up and followed the steel staircase and it wrapped around a large circular room. “Where the hell am I?” Erik asked.

“You are in the Nest,” said a symphony of words behind him. The words, themselves seemed to pick him up and turn him around. The expectation was so wrong about the beauty he saw when he set his eyes upon the queen of the Nest.

Six vampire approached within the hallway on the 20th floor of the high-rise. Jean and Brittany stood next to each other. Erik stood several steps behind them wondering what he could possibly do to help win over impossible odds.

The hallway was not built for vampire as the first few vampire struggle to walk forward. Their large wings unfurled and brushed against the cages that lined the walls. The zombies within the cage grabbed the wings and pulled. The vampire figures between the leather wings jerked and complained as they stopped frequently. Jean waited for the vampire to approach his wings firmed packaged behind his back.

Erik suddenly smiled turned and disappeared down the hall. He would find a way to release the zombie behind the vampire and hope to escape alive. He turned right and began down the next hall when he stopped abruptly. The zombies within the caged rooms did not grumble or try to reach out. These were not zombies within the cages. These were survivors. Erik approached the first cage and looked inside. A family sat quietly with the cage. A girl, younger then Kali, sat in the center of the room playing with her hands. The mother sat quietly watching as the father lay upon a crude bed made of extra clothing they had been able to acquire. “Hey,” Erik whispered. All three sat up straight and stared at Erik for several impossible seconds then the mother stood and ran over to the bars. “Are you here the rescue us?” She asked. Her voice very excited. “I don’t know,” Erik said, “I don’t know how to open the doors.”

“There has got to be a key somewhere!” The mother said, anger and frustration erupted from her. She thrust her hands out from the bars and tried the grab Erik to accentuate her point. Erik stepped back and shouted. He searched the walls for anything he could use to open the doors. Other human prisoners approached the bars and began shouting at Erik. Noise from the fight around the corner began to echo through the halls. The melody of fear and aggression twisted within his head till he couldn’t manifest a single thought. He held his head forward, attempting to block out the noise when he noticed a small silver ring upon the floor. The ring held several keys. Erik leap forward and grabbed the keys. He ran back to the family and turned the lock. The family stepped forward and hugged Erik. Erik stopped and asked the mother if they had seen Kali but they were unsure. The father then disappeared into the hallway where Jean and Brittany fought. Erik unlocked the other cages and the survivors all ran toward the fight. The cages held 24 survivors. An army that Erik could use to defeat Gabriel and his vampire minion.

The satyr stumbled and fell forward as they began up the fifteenth set of stairs. Five more to go till they could potentially find Kali. Brittany would need some medical treatment though before they could climb any higher.

“She has lost a lot of blood,” Jean said as he stood over her. His broken wing twitching behind him as he tried to find room to look at the injured satyr. “We need to dress the wound. Luckily, the shot went through the shoulder and missed anything fatal.”

“Don’t fuss over me,” Brittany shouted as she attempted to stand. Jean held her down easily. “We need a cloth or something,” Erik offered but nothing was immediately available. “What about our magical snake women? Where did they go?” Erik looked up and noticed the beautiful face of the woman named Siren staring down upon him. He waved her down and she disappeared. Within moments she reappeared near the three survivors. “Any magic to fix a bullet wound Siren?” Eric looked up and noticed the green eyes had darkened and shimmered within the light of the stairwell. “Only death,” said the woman, her tail shook at the very tip. Her face glowed with anticipation. “No thanks,” Erik replied and Siren turned upon her serpent leg and began up the stairs again. Erik watched as she disappeared behind the short wall on the stairs. Erik shook off the odd reply and disappeared into the stairway doors and returned with a shirt from one of the guards. Jean wrapped the shoulder as best he could and helped Brittany stand. “You can leave if you want too. Go rest or something,” Erik offered. Brittany just shook her head and began up the stairs. The sirens waited for Erik and the two others. The 20th floor appeared quickly. The door was shut and locked. It was inaccessible to even Jean. “We should be able to get in through the wall, I would think.”

Brittany turned and mule kicked the soft drywall beside the door till it revealed the door frame. Erik and Jean then dug out the rest with their hands. Once inside Eric opened the door but quickly noticed they had drawn a lot of attention from within the floor and above them. Several footsteps trampled downward toward them. Brittany walked into the bright hallway followed by the sirens and then Jean. Erik closed the door, locked it and followed the group to the right. They turned right and found makeshift cages built within the door frames of the office rooms. Most of the cages were empty but the ones that were not were packed with the undead. Stripped of clothing the zombies growled. The ones that could reach out of the hand size slots stretched toward the survivors. The others climbed over, pushed. A few of the zombie milled around near the back unaware of the meal that walked past. “Do you think this is a good idea?” Erik asked. The others said nothing and made sure they stayed as close to the center of the hallway as possible. From the end of the hall vampire shouted as they found the survivors. The sirens had already disappeared down another hallway. Erik and the two others followed. The sirens searched for a place to hide. Their strange reptilian tails waving rapidly as the muscles with contracted and released. Brittany’s heavy feet pounded the floor next to Erik and Jean followed. The vampire caught up to the group and shouted for them to stop. The rooms within this floor were all locked or filled with vile creatures. Jean slowed and turned. He bared his large teeth and growled and the group of six vampire. The growl seemed to gurgle as it rose from the depths of Jeans chest then erupted viciously when it escaped through the enlarged jowls that extended as his anger grew. Erik stopped and turned. The other vampire approached Jean slowly. They returned the growl. All six of the vampires faces dropped. Their teeth long and sharp.

Erik turned away and walked into Brittany, who stood above him. She stared down upon him and silently lectured him on courage. “Oh my god!” Erik shouted. “I have nothing to fight with. These creatures are going to kick my ass.” Brittany pushed Erik to the side and stood to the right of Jean. The three sirens had disappeared somewhere. Erik stood quietly staring at the approaching fight.

Erik watched as the zombies approached. The three sirens stood, side by side, in front of Erik, Jean and Brittany. Brittany step forward, her hoofs clapped upon the floor. Jean, the Haitian, stopped her and all three watched. The sirens raised their hands simultaneously and chanted. The thoughts of anything normal disappeared quickly from Erik’s head as he recalled his simplistic lifestyle outside of the walls of this insanity. “What is going on?” He asked Brittany as she stood above him. She looked forward entranced by what was happening. Erik followed her gaze and noticed the edges of the light from the elevator begin to fade. The small lines where the pale light met the shadow suddenly disappeared. The light then began to fold inward leaving the shadow stained upon the walls. Slowly as the light peeled from the walls it formed large cylindrical fingers that began to curl around the zombies. This hand of light closed slowly leaving few zombies trapped within it’s grasp. They milled around unaware of anything both blind and too dumb to try to escape. The fingers of light grew and curled till the zombies all but disappeared within the grasp. The siren’s chanted louder and the fingers tightened the grip and easily crushed may of the zombies. Outside of they miracle of light the other zombies quickly approached Echidna and shoved her to the ground. Immediately, the fingers dissolved. The seam along the shadow instantly returned and the remains of the zombies fell to the ground. One zombie survived the crushing grip and began to crawl toward the group. Most of its internal organs had been crushed and it’s arms barely held it up but it’s brain stood unharmed.

Echidna fought with the zombie. Her green eyes tracing marks within the darkness. From down the hall the other green-eyed guards began to shout and raced toward them. Erik grabbed the zombie. It wore a dress, badly, but enough was there to grab onto. Erik hauled the zombie over the head and body of Echidna and threw it down at his feet. The zombie immediately surged forward and attempted to grab Erik’s ankles. Erik leaped back and grasped the chair leg with both hand. He shoved the broken end of the leg into the zombie’s face but did not kill her. Blood pooled under what was left of the zombie’s face. It still tried to bit with the muscle and skin left functional in it’s face. Erik stomped hard upon the head causing the soft putrified skull to collapse. The zombie immediately stopped leaving Erik’s simple shoes covered in rotten goo. While Erik fought the zombie Jean and Brittany stepped forward and fought the other three zombies. A shot rang from the hallway and Brittany’s left shoulder jerked backward. She fell backward and sank against the wall. Another shot missed the group entirely and they quickly retreated behind the corner. Siren, the third of the three witches cast a ball of light upon her right hand and tossed it into the hallway where the guards were running within. A burst of light erupted and the three guards screamed. Erik and Jean stepped forward ready to fight but found the three guards writhing in extreme pain. The sirens stood upon their serpent legs and slid toward the stairwell door. Erik noticed they had cloaked most of their faces with large brown hood. “Oh, great we have magic monks,” he said with a smile as he stepped over the zombie that had escaped the fingers of light. It tried pitifully to grasp at anything but it’s arms had been shattered. Jean helped Brittany to her feet. Both tussled verbally over the shoulder wound. “Hey, you two,” Erik shouted. “You wanna get married we can do that later. We have to find Kali before freak Gabriel turns her into some crazy Eve thing.” Jean let go of Brittany as his large wings fell slightly. “Shut the hell up Erik,” he shouted as he turned toward him. “Woh.. woh there winged guy. I was just joking.” Jean pushed past Erik and disappeared into the stairwell followed by the sirens. Brittany followed behind Erik slowly. “You alright?” Erik asked. “I’m fine, leave me alone,” Brittany replied. Erik noticed the guards laying just before the stairwell doors. Their four-foot serpentine legs wrestled with the air but above the waist they lay still. They seemed effectively dead. Erik disappeared into the light of the stairwell and then said. “What was that?”

The three sirens easily maneuvered up the stairs. Smoothly ascending upward. They ignored Erik’s comment and quickly disappeared up the next flight of steps. “Which floor we heading to again, brother?” Erik said while patting Jean upon the wings on his back. “Twentieth floor, prison floor.” Jean responded with a shout, terse reply. Erik then let Brittany step forward and he took the rear. He watched as the blood stained her white blouse.

Three pairs of green eyes approached Erik, Jean and Brittany. The darkness was overwhelming and fear bled through paranoid wounds. Erik held tight to a wooden chair leg he had found in the hallway. He was prepared to disembowel anything or anyone they attempted to hurt him. He watched as a pair of green eyes passed in front of him. Clothing, that was cool to the touch, brushed his leg and forearm. A second pair of eyes approached and gently touched him. Immediately, alarms went off and he tensed. He gripped the broken chair leg tightly imagining the blows in the darkness that would take out this threat but the creature passed. The third pair of glowing green eyes approached and stopped. The oblong spheres floated inches from his face. They stared into his eyes till the fear bled from his face. “I suggest you move on,” Erik said, his teeth clenched and his fingers straining. “We are not going to hurt you.” Said a feminine voice. The tone and reflection of her voice was calming. Though this made Erik drop his apprehension for seconds it flared up and he cursed. “Damnit, whatever you are. You need to move on. You want help then help me not kick your ass.”

“I am Echidna, these are my sisters Scylla and Siren,” said the woman. Erik stared at the woman for several uncomfortable seconds till her right eye jerked suddenly. The movement broke the tension and Erik loosened his grip upon the chair leg. The door opened to the room. The slight noise dusted away any remaining tension and the green-eyed women stepped out into the hallway. Erik and the other two followed closely behind. The hallway merged into a right turn and all six survivors walked carefully. The three green-eyed women walked in front and quietly lead them around any obstacles. Far ahead of the survivors they could hear the Minotaur trampling over anything that got in the way. Behind him the green-eyed guards talked loudly, intentionally trying to provoke the group.

The survivors walked slowly toward the next hallway. In front of them stood two elevators. The dim light from the button blinked then both elevators opened. Light from the elevators burst into the dark hallway. A half-dozen rotten zombies milled within both lit elevators till they stepped forward and noticed the survivors. The light from the elevators revealed the details of the three women. The three green-eyed women became floating human monsters. Their legs and feet replaced by tails. The tail extended four feet behind them. Erik’s jaw dropped and the blood drained from his face. The fact that these creatures slipped by him, the noise from the tail never became obvious but the bigger problem was the zombies that stood hungrily marching toward them.

Erik opened the door and then stopped. Jean, the Haitian stopped short of running into him and the satyr clapped down upon the laminate floor with her hoofs. “What is your name, Mrs. woman with hoofs?” Erik asked. Jean stood over Erik and smiled. The satyr stood quietly for several seconds then spoke. Her voice darker and deeper. “My name is Brittany.” A quiet laugh abruptly broke through Erik’s attempt to avoid being amused. The sight of the large goat-like creature didn’t seem to fit a “Brittany”. “So Brittany, the goat girl?” Erik asked cruelly. Within seconds a thick ball of bone and skin flew at his face. Erik managed to turn his head and the blow hit the side of his face. Erik fell out the door and upon an unconscious vampire. The sight of the mutated face and chest of the man frightened Erik and he rolled to the side. He held his throbbing face and look up at Jean and Brittany, the satyr. “Ow, but on a good note. I think we need to build an army to fight these monsters. How many monsters did Gabriel create?” Jean stepped forward and offered Erik a hand. Jean helped Erik to his feet and quickly pushed him against the hallway wall. Her large meaty palms pressed against his shoulder. “I have the strength to crush you where you stand. I recommend you speak to me respectfully,” she threatened. “I’m sorry, Brittany. I apologize but I’m not all that great at being respectful.”

Brittany released his shoulder as the hallway door, by the elevator, opened abruptly. “Guards!” Brittany whispered as she stepped over the unconscious vampire scattered upon the floor and began to walk away. Her hoofs sounded like large heels upon an aluminum floor. Erik and Jean followed quickly. As they passed the next door Erik tried to open it but it was locked. Jean grabbed the door handle and pulled. The door opened easily but the noise caused the guards to run toward it. Erik, Jean and Brittany began to run as a large man stepped from the room. His feet were hoofed but the hair was short and black. His chest was wide as two men and his face was twisted into a mixture between a bull and a wrestler. The Minotaur snorted and raced toward the trio. The unexpected enemy forced the three to pick up the pace and they disappeared into a dark hallway on the right. Mid-way within the hallway the darkness was thick and they began to trip upon invisible objects that sat on the floor. Judging by when Brittany stopped slapping the floor Erik could guess she was several steps ahead of him. The Minotaur snorted loudly as he pushed forward. Erik flattened himself against the side of the hallway and hoped he could become quiet enough to avoid detection. He could hear Brittany’s hoofs shuffling as she tried to prepare for the potential fight. The Minotaur charged past Erik. His angry breath slapped Erik’s face as he passed within inches. Just after the large beast passed he fell and swore. The noise from the fall was from a monster but the angst and anger spoken from the beast was human. An office chair squeaked as it rolled down the hallway. From the hallway behind them several green-eyed guards stood. Their eyes floating in the darkness. Their faces were partially lit from the lights behind them. “Dominic,” one of them shouted. That goat woman is standing right beside you. Take her out.” Erik felt his face and remembered the blow from Brittany’s meaty fist. He could hear her shuffling as the Minotaur struggled to stand within the debris in the hallway. Then the hooves took off, galloping down the hallway. Jean followed passing Erik quickly. “Get them!” The guards demanded and they began to run forward. Erik judged where the Minotaur lay and tried to run around. He was tripped up by a sudden grasp at his ankle and fell forward. The pain was immediate as he hit his head hard upon the corner of a desk. He push himself to the side then fell to the ground. His ankle was free so Erik pushed forward with blood falling from his head wound.

He met up with Brittany and Jean as they stood within the dark hallway. They had escaped into a dark room on the right side. “We aren’t going to make it anywhere if we can’t frickn’ see,” Erik said as he mopped up the blood with his hands and wiped it upon his shirt. “We need to grab one of those green-eyed guards,” Jean added. “All the crap you two can do and you can’t see in the dark?” Erik spat angrily.

The Minotaur roared past the room door. His heavy hooves made the room shuttered as he passed. The guards followed, talking as they passed the door. No one dared look out the small glass window but they could see a dim green glow pass. “How the hell are we going to do this? None us us are ninja.” A small green line of circles appeared toward the back of the room. “Guards?”

The green circles separated in pairs and approached the trio. “Can you help us?” Said someone within the darkness. “Hell, yeah we can.” Erik said loudly but quickly closed his mouth.

Erik and the Haitian cleared two more sets of stairs when a scream stopped them dead in their tracks. According to the green-eyed men Kali was stored on the prison floor but that was still several floors above them. I was possible that the men were wrong. Erik sped toward the stair door but the Haitian stopped him.

“Brother, hold it,” the Haitian said as he covered the door with his large black wings. “We don’t know what’s behind here.” Erik grumbled.

“Let’s give it a second,” Erik agreed reluctantly. The Haitian folded his wings and within seconds Erik pulled the door open and stepped into the hallway. The Haitian growled as he regretted going back for Erik. The ignorant man would listen to no one. The problem was that the Haitian would regret deeply losing Erik after all the souls he has lost in this world. The only one he has left is an asshole. The Haitian swung the door open violently causing it to bang against the stairwell wall. Upon the adjacent wall the fire extinguisher and fire ax rattled. The Haitian grabbed the ax and the fire extinguisher and walked into the hallway.

The hallway was dark but a sliver of light lit a hallway up ahead. The Haitian could see Erik several steps ahead of him. Adrenaline fueled Erik. The oppressive thoughts of life alone and depressed disappeared. He was now a man on a mission and he loved it. The adjacent hallway became closer. He assumed the heavy steps behind him were from the Haitian. At this point he really didn’t care. Erik stopped at the corner of the hallway and leaned into the adjacent hallway. He could see several vampire talking at the end of the hallway. Within the hallway sat several closed doors. The woman screamed again and Erik tried to pin-point the location. The Haitian approached him and clasp his shoulder. “Please, don’t be rash, my friend.”

“Don’t worry about me, big, bad ass black vampire guy,” Erik whispered as he stared down the hallway. The Haitian tightened his grip on Erik’s shoulder. “My name is Jean Paul.”

Erik slowly walked forward to the first door and turned the handle. The door was locked. He looked into the small window then leap back into the darker hallway. “Paul, nice the finally know your name? Name is Erik,” Erik replied coldly. “I know your name, Erik and it’s Jean Paul not Paul.” Erik ignored him, waited for the group of vampire to turn away then walked quietly to the next door and turned the door knob. The Haitian stood within the dark hallway. The large wings upon his back made hiding far more difficult. The impulsive nature of this smaller, overweight man drove him crazy. The door creaked loudly catching the vampire guards attention. Erik disappeared within the room as the three vampire guards began walking toward him.

Erik scanned the room a he slowly closed the door behind him. All the furniture had been removed from the room and the paint upon the walls was scratched. Holes were punched in several places as Erik turned right. Sitting in the corner of the room was a satyr. Her feet were hoofed and split in the center to created two toes. Fur and brown skin covered her legs up to her hips. Her waist was wrapped in a short black skirt. She wore a white blouse that looked like it was going to burst under the pressure of her humongous breast. Upon her broad shoulder sat a beautifully sculpted petite head. Long blond hair fell from her ears to the middle of her back.

“Wow,” Erik said as he searched for something intelligent to say. The satyr stood and towered over him. She was over seven-foot tall. “Wow,” Erik repeated.

“Are you an idiot?” The satyr asked, her voice husky. “You closed the room door. How are you supposed to get out of this damn room.” The satyr approached Erik. Erik wasn’t short. He was barely under six-foot tall but this satyr seemed to tower over him. “I can open it again,” Erik suggested. The satyr stopped and watched as Erik walked over to the door and turned the handle. The door was locked. “Seriously, you must be an idiot. I should just smash your chest with my hoofed feet. ” The hard keratinised hoofs echoed through the room as she approached. “Now wait a moment,” Erik said with a pause to swallow. “Have you seen a little girl about this high.” Erik pushed his hand out about chest-high. “Her hair is brown and about as long as you. She isn’t quite as beautiful as you but she’s close.” The satyr stopped. Her stern face shattered under the compliment. She stopped and slowly sank to her knees. “Gabriel had a young lady the last time I was up on the 28th floor. He keeps his penthouse up there. He spoke of turning her into Eve.”

“Eve, what the hell does that mean?” Erik asked. Something slammed against the door as a fight began. He could hear bodies slamming into walls and wings folding and unfolding rapidly. “What is going on outside the door,” the satyr asked. “Just a bad-ass friend of mine taking down some vampire. No big deal,” Erik smiled as he said it and the satyr returned the smile. “What’s the deal, why are you here? Don’t you belong in some fairy tale?” The white blouse strained as the satyr stretched and then placed her hands behind her. “I was once a survivor like you…”

“You were a good looking survivor, if that’s true,” Erik interrupted. The satyr smiled then continued. “Gabriel had a stone. He calls it the God stone. It allows you to create life by taking it from somewhere else.” Erik recalled the stone that fell from Kali’s backpack when they were running from the zombies on Michigan avenue. “Is it a black stone, really small?”

“Do you have it?” The satyr asked, her voice excited. “No, the little girl had it last time I knew. I think my Haitian friend Jean or something like that said that a vampire grabbed it.” The satyr sank. She sat upon the floor. “Gabriel, has gotten it back.” She said, her voice gravelly. “He will then continue to build his army and I will forever be a freak.”

A body slammed against the outside wall and echoed through the room. “Damn,” Erik shouted as he jumped. “Crap, anyways… you said he’s building an army?”

“A freak army. He figures that he will rebuild the world as it once was with monsters controlling the fate of the world.”

“Wow, I’m sorry I am saying that a lot but Wow. I wonder if he watched Pinky and the Brain a lot as a kid?” Erik smiles. “What?” The satyr stares at him silently. “Bad reference to something I watched as a kid. Anyway, my thought…” Erik pauses and watches as the satyr’s chest moves up and down. “…uhm… my thought is that you are not a freak and let’s get the hell out of here. I don’t hear any more noise outside and I’m hoping my friend kicked some ass.” At that very moment the door opened and Jean walked in the door. His tall seven-foot black frame towered over Erik. One of his wings was tattered and folded awkwardly behind him. The satry stood and both creature met and stood silent. Erik quickly felt like the smallest man in the world. “What’s the deal with this?” Erik broke the uncomfortable silence. He pointed to both tall creatures. “Am I a freak’n dwarf?”

“God, I remember this place. The crappy food, the crappy service. It was the worse store I’d ever been too but they had top shelf liquor,” Erik stepped over a broken chair and around a metal shelf that had fallen over. It had been so long since anything moved in this place the dust tinted the white shelf dark grey. He walked to the right and found an aisle full of canned foods. Erik found a can of beans that sat in the center of the aisle and another can of fruit. “Now I need a damn can opener.” His body began to shake as he stared at the food. A noise from near the back of the store started him. That noise was followed by several meaty slaps upon the large picture window in the front of the store. A pair of zombies had wandered toward the store. Erik set the cans of food on one of the dusty shelves and turned. He approached the fallen shelf and began to drag it toward the broken front door. The noise from the metal on concrete floor made him cringe and also incited dead in the window. They began to bang harder as he dragged the heavy metal shelf. He was inches from the door when it suddenly stopped and fell from his hands. The sharp edges of the shelves dug into his hands leaving them bloody. Erik swore. The zombies had yet to find the open door. Three now banged upon the glass in front of the store. Something moved near where the shelves had laid. He had to lift the shelves almost upright just to get them to move. He now realized that a zombie had been trapped underneath the shelves. It lifted a blackened hand upward and felt for anything to grab a hold of. Erik pressed his bloody hands against his dirty close and attempted to stop the bleeding. The hand of the zombie banged loudly upon the metal shelves. Erik then noticed a second zombie walking slowly toward him from the back of the store. He grabbed the shelves again and tugged. His hands slipped and he fell against the picture window. Several more zombie had been attracted by the noises and they banged loudly. An additional zombie had found the door and began to try to open it. It was difficult because there were no hinges but Erik knew that eventually the monster would figure it out.

Erik watched the zombie from the back room and noticed that it walked very slow. It was very thin and the skin upon its body was dark and thickened. The zombie beneath the shelves found a grip and began to pull itself upward. The site was horrid as half the face of the monster had been tore. It bled from every pore including it’s one working eye. The zombie was blind. It’s left eye pale under the blood that cascaded down it’s face. The right stared forward and didn’t move as it pulled it’s other arm up and began to try to stand. The monster was rail thin and it’s skin black as coal and bunched up in sickening wrinkles. The zombie growled from somewhere within the black carcass as it smelled Erik and the blood upon his hands. Erik had little choice but too kick the metal shelves toward the zombie. The shelves screeched but it knocked the zombie back. Erik kicked again and lifted the shelves up slightly and it fell loudly. The blackened zombie thrust his arms upward then they fell and disappeared. Erik assumed, with some hope, that the zombie was dead. He pulled the shelves and placed it against the door. The shelves were plenty heavy to stop any unintelligent creatures from entering.

The other zombie had moved near half the distance to the front of the store. Erik walked toward the end of the shelves and looked down to make sure the blackened zombie was dead and found a black mass of motionless bone and skin. The zombies head had become trapped and severed. Erik assumed it was beneath the shelves and wasn’t about to prove it. The second zombie moved forward at a consistent speed. The checkout lanes were to the left of Erik and he suddenly recalled a bat that Willie Groves threatened to use on him once when he was a young alcoholic. “He kept the damn thing in one of these lanes,” Erik mumbled as he searched. Willies had three small checkout lanes but only one was ever used but he could not remember which one. He searched the first one and found dusty plastic bags and a price gun. The second had plastic bags and under the register he actually found a pack of condoms. He laughed at the thought then moved to the third register. The second zombie had cleared the aisles and was now approaching Erik. This lane was also empty and Erik cursed. At the far front corner was the Service desk. Erik walked to the Service desk and tried to open the gate but it was locked. He looked back and found the zombie trapped within one of the checkout lanes. Erik kicked the gate and busted it. He kicked several other times till he could unlock the gate and walk behind the Service desk. Behind him was the shelf of liquor but in front of him was a dusty bat. It sat underneath the register at the counter. Erik grabbed the bat. He pulled the bat from the shelf below the counter and it revealed a large pistol. “Oh my God!” He shouted loudly. He dropped the bat and grabbed the pistol. He aimed and fired at the zombie within the lane but the gun only clicked. He tried several other times and still nothing. Erik cursed. Opened the hand gun and found it had no bullets. Erik grumbled and put the hand gun in his waistline, near the back. He picked up the bat from the floor and looked toward the zombie in the lane. It had fallen over the chain that stopped people from using the lane. It’s thin, sickly legs wobbled in the air. Erik laughed hard. It was the funniest thing he had ever seen.

The iron cover moved slowly. Erik’s arms were sore but he pushed on. The entire scene with the Queen replayed in his head several times. He pushed upward with his hands, shoving his knees straight to move the heavy iron only a couple inches. He felt rejected and helpless. A heavy invisible slim covered his body as he tried again the move the cover. This time it moved nearly half a foot. Light from the sun showered him with warmth but he could not feel it. He stepped upward and placed both hands upon the cover and pushed. The cover slid easily and he nearly fell from the ladder. Erik stopped. Took a breath and stepped up into the sunlight.

The street looked familiar, “First street,” he recalled as he looked around. Erik thought he would of been mobbed by the undead immediately but they wandered two-hundred feet away. First street was empty of the plague that cursed the world above ground. Erik didn’t want to think about the evil below the ground. Even with his anger boiling he pushed the iron cover back over the man hole and tried to find a place to stay before the zombies noticed he was there.

The facades of the buildings were rotten. The doors were busted inward and the windows were brown with dust, if they were not broken. The street smelled like a locker room full of the dead. Piles of human waste littered the street next to bodies torn to pieces and baking in the sun. Flies buzzed and poked at Erik as he walked toward what looked like a grocery store. His belly rumbled with anticipation at the presumption of food. He hadn’t eaten in what could of been two days. The hours melted into a long, continuous anxiety and desire to stay alive. The door of the store was glass. It had not been busted or pushed in like the others. The windows, covered in a think paint of dirt and dust, were intact. Erik pushed upon the door but it was locked. The door though moved back and forth within its fragile hinges. It seemed to have resisted some abuse but Erik’s additional tugs freed the simple hinges from the door frame. The noise from moving the door attracted several zombies exploring the broken windows within a shop across the street. He could also here movement within the store itself. Erik pulled the door open from the hinges and stepped into the store.

A writhing mass of bodies lay struggling to stand as the Queen stood screaming at several heavily armored vampire. A zombie lifted it’s bloodied arm and grasp the torn dress of the Queen. She looked down upon the mess of a man. His body was splayed outward like a cabinet full of organs. His head was covered in blood. The Queen crushed his neck viciously. She looked up, spotted Erik, Siren and Kali and then screamed at the vampire around her. “Your vampire! Act like fuck’n vampire! Seal off tunnel 3B and do it quickly!” She noticed Erik and Kali. “Get your ass down here!”

The vampire that lead him shoved him. “Hey!” Erik resisted but the vampire shoved him harder. Siren suddenly grabbed the vampire by the neck and pulled backward. The vampire lost his footing and fell. She reared up upon her large tail and was going to crush the vampire when Erik stopped her. “It’s Ok,” he explained as he put out his hands. “Are you done screwing around over there!” The Queen shouted. Siren slide back and allowed the vampire to stand. The Queen approached the vampire and ordered him to watch over Kali. “Erik, here!”

Erik began down the stairs and noticed a thick carpet of moving flesh beneath him. “I’d rather just stay here.” The Queen pursed her beautiful lips. Her dress covered in blood and gore but Erik couldn’t help but become entranced by her. “Gabriel is looking to trade the girl for the lives of the Network.” Erik stared at the Queen then shook himself from the trance. “What!”

“Gabriel wants the girl,” the Queen repeated. “Uhm.. no,” Erik replied. “After all the work I did to get her I’m not giving her up. Are you out of your mind?” The Queen growled. Her face became pale and her features fell downward. Her magnificent beauty disappeared within moments. “Holy crap!” Erik stepped up the stairs and stumbled. He kept his balance but fell upon the steel railing of the walkway. The Queen stepped upon the carpet of flesh and began up the stairs. “It is my job to protect my people. Do you not understand?” The Queen’s voice dropped and her accent slide through the words like a serpent. Erik leaned against the railing wondering if he would ever get to drink again. “He really needed a good drink,” he thought. “Ok, wait.” He pleaded. “For one, I don’t know why your asking me this when you can just take her and two, what the hell am I going to do to stop you.” The Queen hissed and stood up straight. Her face slowly returned but to Erik the attraction was completely gone. The Queen then shoved Erik away from Kali and the rest of the group. Erik fell hard upon the steel walkway. He turned and watched as the Queen. Several other vampire grabbed Siren and restrained her. The Queen lead Kali down the stairs, across the dead and to the other side. Erik immediately felt hopeless and powerless. His world, just rebuilt, crashed down upon him. Torturous reminders of his daughter, wife and failures weighed upon him till he found himself alone with the undead mush beneath him trying desperately to grab onto a piece of him. Erik laid down upon the steel floor feeling the tugs of the undead. Waiting for something strong enough to pull him through the walkway and to his death. Above him he found a trace of light. A semi-circular moon that was the doorway to the outside world. Erik pulled himself to his feet and began to climb toward the surface.

Erik stared at Kali. Her abnormal, elongated face, stared back within the leather restraints that bound her. “Death would of been better,” Erik thought. One of the human guards stayed with Erik. The atmosphere within the underground changed immediately after the notification of the zombie breach. The organization broke down. Vampire and human ran around aimlessly. Siren approached him slowly from behind. There was a round ball-like mass on the end of her tail that banged into the iron framework of the walkway. “What are we going to do now?”

Erik noticed a vampire pushing through the crowd below. He knocks of a small wooden concession stand and looks up toward the survivors. He then stretches his wings outward forcing several humans to duck out of the way. They begin to complain but he ignores them. He screams at them to move as they squeeze to close to him. He shakes his wings then pushes them down and up forcefully. The humans beneath the large wings hide their faces as loose dirt creates a volcano of dust. The vampire spies Erik and leaps upward. Erik steps back and searches for a weapon. Siren stands on his left. Kali and the guard on his right. There is nothing available but his meaty fists.

The vampire pushes upward and lands upon the steel railing. His elongated feet and toes wrap around the horizontal railing. Erik steps forward to hit the vampire hard but the vampire deflects the blow easily. “Stupid human,” says the vampire as he moves uneasily. Erik steps back and prepares for another blow. Siren stops him with her small pale hands. “I think he has something to say,” she states. Erik backs away and places a hand upon the leather-wrapped Kali. She growls and he removes his hand.

“Erik,” the vampire began with thick contempt. “The Queen requests your company. Lower-level 4B. ”

The vampire leaps from the railing and the steel walkway groans loudly. “Follow me!” Erik follows the vampire. Kali followed with the gentle urging of the human guard. Siren followed slowly. Along the floor of the Network’s base the humans split as the large vampire walked between them. Erik noticed that no other vampire stood within the humans. They entered the tunnels and stepped downward toward the lower levels.

The Queen stood within a mass of human decay…

Erik rubbed his knees as they throbbed. He stood in front of the small room where Kali was kept. There were two human guards, the Queen and a vampire guard. Siren stayed within the Queen’s quarters. The steel floor groaned under the weight of all five individuals. One of the human guards approached the door and unlocked the door. He paused before opening. The Queen spoke. “The process of converting children is unpredictable.” Erik grumbled quietly. “The anger that is present in the parasite, that is the vampire, will cause a child to lash out and lose any attachments before the conversion. We take extra precautions to avoid any injury to ourselves or to the child.” “I got you,” Erik said. “Just show me what you Franken-vampire did to Kali.” The human guard opens the door slowly. Kali sits silently upon the floor. Her back is against the wall. Within the room furniture is missing. There are two thick windows that allow a small amount of light. The light highlights the mood within the room. The sadness expressed within the slumped shoulders of the little girl Erik once knew. Erik was immediately crushed with two-tons of emotional guilt. He left her alone within the corridor. Thoughts began to echo through his head reminding him of the love lost since the infection began so many years ago. His daughter, lost outside their home. His beautiful wife overcome with grief took her own life several days later. Erik had trashed his life since the infection. They found him on the street stealing from merchants. That’s how he became trapped within this hellish city. Erik, had enough and he broke his silence. “What the hell, did you do to her!” He attempted to grab the Queen but the vampire guard grabbed him quickly. “God damn it,” Erik shouted as he fought unsuccessfully. “I am so tired of being frick’n over powered. Can you just let me frick’n kill someone?” The Queen glared at Erik. The human guards stepped in front of the Queen. Erik stopped fighting and began arguing. It was useless to try to break the grip of the large vampire guard. The others shouted back. Moments later one of the human guards screamed and held his side. Blood poured from two puncture wounds just below his chest. Kali stood behind the guard. Blood clung to her lips and chin. Her nose and lips was pulled back in a nasty snarl. Her teeth were thin and bared. Her face was elongated and two small pairs of wings hovered over her young head. The second human guard grabbed her quickly and struggled to avoid her bite. The first guard quickly took off an outer uniformed coat and put pressure on the wound. The Queen stood motionless but stared at something approaching behind the vampire guard. The vampire loosened his grip and Erik pulled free and sank to the steel floor. “Queen Ann! Queen Ann!” Shouted a vampire as it ran up the steel stairwell. “The zombie have breached the tunnels.”

Erik stepped forward from the dark room as Siren’s long tail slid through the room. Several things fell from shelves as the tail unconsciously knocked them over. “Could you be a little quieter?” Erik looked back to see only the creatures green eyes staring at them. “Damn it.. that’s just too creepy.” Erik attempted to push the door forward but stood quietly in front of the beautiful queen of the vampire.”

“I have come to retrieve you but it looks like you have already unlocked the door. The queen will be unhappy when I report this.” A large human guard said as he let Erik and Siren from the room. “The queen sits within her room.”

“I want you to free Kali!” Erik demanded. “I am not authorized to do that, sir.”

“I don’t care!” Erik began toward Kali’s room when the human guard quickly shoved him into the hard stone wall. Erik fought back but the guard was twice as strong as he was. Through the corner of his eye he spotted the a long thin shadow wavering then detaching. It then fell as if a lumberjack downed a tree. The shadow hit him as if it was solid, knocking him unconscious. Erik stepped forward toward where he remembered Kali was being kept. Siren followed behind him, slithering uncomfortably across the steel causeway. The large circular room busted with activity below. Erik watched as humans spoke pleasantly with vampire and vice-versa. Erik knew it was something that could happen, hell he considered Jean a friend, but it looked so unnatural. It just wasn’t something he was comfortable seeing other people doing. Erik stopped abruptly when he heard Siren hiss behind him. He turned and saw several human guards standing upon her tail. The snake woman stared at the men. The courage of the men disappeared as Siran rose upon her tail. The snake woman stood nearly eight-foot tall when she struck forward and shoved both men backward. One of the men nearly fell to his death when he tripped over the steel railing. Several vampire and other human guards rushed forward with guns drawn. They rescued the guard and began to shout. They forced Erik upon his chest. Tied his wrists and lifted him from the ground. Siren fought longer. Erik tried desperately not to be crushed to death underneath her large tail. Eventually, due to her length, The vampire trapped her and bound her. They lifted Erik by the arms and lead both forward. They passed the dark room and entered a hallway. Siren continued to struggle and hiss. The vampire seemed to have less of a problem with courage then the weaker men. Erik spoke to Siren and advised her to calm. He was tired of jumping over her tail.

After several hundred feet the human guard opened a pair of rusty double doors. The room behind the doors was huge. The walls painted beautifully. Fields painted upon the right wall. Flowers and birds and large white clouds. Upon the left were flying vampire hovering over humans working within the fields below. The artist attempted to portray peace and serenity but no matter the skill of the artist it was still creepy. The thought of monsters hovering over the human race just chilled Erik. Sitting in the center of the room was the Queen. Within a large chair the Queen smiled as Erik and Siren approached. The dress she wore was immaculate. The flower were meticulously sewn upon a bleached white cloth. The dress stopped at her ankles revealing her boots. The guards stopped Erik and Siren just before the Queen. “What the hell!” Shouted the queen loudly. The noise bounced around the room several times. She stood and approached the two prisoners. She slapped Erik upon the face and he fell upon a vampire that stood beside him. The vampire quickly pushed him down upon the floor. The queen stood above him. Her boots inches from his face. “Get him up!” She demanded. The guards stood him up. Erik smiled. “The boots are really not fitting this outfit,” Erik said. The queen growled at him, but then stopped at smiled slightly. “I hate the boots,” she said softly then whispered into his ear. “I hate demonstrations of anarchy more.” The whisper sent shivers down Erik’s spine. The Queen quickly set the ground rules within her little section of heaven as Erik and Siren listened. They were then released on the condition that they would followed the rules to the letter. Erik attempted to interrupt the Queen only once. It was quickly put down with a swift kick to the knees. “Please, my Queen,” Erik said as he sat upon the floor. “I would like to know that Kali is OK.” The Queen quickly stopped a human guard that attempted to kick him again. “I will make the arrangements,” she began. “You will no longer attempt to unravel the peace within my kingdom below the streets, correct?”

“Yes, yes… I promise. Please get this asshole away from me.”

Outside of the store the world flew past. Vampires pushed at the air as they struggled rise from a dive. Soldiers, dressed in dirty t-shirts, blouses and jeans fought the zombies on the ground and the aerial assault. The vampire would grab and throw or grab and tear at the soldiers as they fought the zombies. The world had become even more dangerous.

Erik and Patrick stood under the worn awning watching the battle. A blond woman wearing a red dress, blue jeans and a large brimmed hat screamed as she ran across the battlefield. She swung a long curved sword at the first zombie she came across. The sword missed, took out the zombie’s ear. It stumbled forward and grabbed for a piece of the woman. The woman tripped and fell. The zombie stopped, turned and began to bend down when it’s head exploded. Erik’s pistol clicked as it set up another round. The woman looked up from the ground. Her eyes widened when she saw Erik. Erik looked at Patrick and he smiled. Another zombie approached and Erik fired another round. A group of soldiers ran up to the woman and helped her. “It’s him!” She said with excitement. All at once they all looked. Their faces painted with excitement but within moments it disappeared. A large winged vampire swept in and grabbed the blond woman. The others tried to help but the vampire disappeared quickly. Erik stepped from the awning and attempted to fire but was shocked by what he saw.

The sky was full of winged vampire. Several from the left and others in the right. They swung at each other with bats and poles. The ones that got hit either tumbled around the air or fell. Erik caught sight of the large vampire with the woman but he had killed her and tossed her to the ground. He then saw a long dark familiar vampire appear from above him. The Haitian stuck the larger vampire hard with a broom stick. The large vampire turned and pushed his wings down and back up. Both vampire faced off in the air but the Haitian swung the broom connecting hard just below the chest. “My god!” Erik said as he recognized his old friend. The world suddenly opened up and Erik took in the entire scene. There were at least 200 soldiers facing large odds, not including the vampire above.

“What’s going on?” Erik asked as he stepped into the fight. “The Queen versus Gabriel.”

“You don’t need to say anymore.” Erik replied.

Patrick walked into the store. He stepped over the aluminum shelf. “What’s up?” He asked. Erik hadn’t shaved in weeks. His hair was wrapped in natural oils and other bodily fluids. It stood at attention in several places upon his head. “What’s up with you?” Erik whispered, cleared his throat and repeated.

Patrick smiled. “Fighting vampire and zombies, here.”

“Looks like it,” Erik replied. “Enjoy yourself.” Erik turned the large man around and showed him the door. “Dude, you look familiar outside of the crap in your hair and the beard. There was once this man, called Erik, the Brave. That has become his name. He is rumored to be unkillable.”

“Is that so.”

“Yeah, and you look like him.”

“Your full of crap,” Erik snapped. Patrick laughed. “I think you are the one full of crap.” He then pulled a dark mass from Erik’s hair. “Don’t touch my hair!” Erik warned. “You! can’t know who this Erik is. He is not brave. Not a goddamn hero!”

“So you are Erik?”

“Damn!!” Erik exploded. He did it to protect his perception of himself. “He was trash man before the infection. A trash man after the infection and a trash man now”, he thought.

“Dude…” Patrick stopped abruptly as a vampire fell upon a young woman, a zombie, that collapsed easily under the weight. A human man attempted a swing with a crude steel sword. The vampire shoved the human into a group of zombies near the center of the street. The poor man was overwhelmed within moments. The vampire bent down toward the zombie underneath his feet. His head disappeared beneath the store window. “We have to get you out of here.” Patrick said as he shoved him sideways. Erik fell hard and Patrick fell on top of him. “Stupid…” Erik shouted as he stood slowly. He then realized that the vampire outside the window caught his eye. It growled but the noise was inaudible. It shook as the zombie blood dripped through his thick veins. With several powerful swings the vampire broke the store window and leapt through the window. Patrick grabbed Erik and lifted him easily. They rushed toward the service desk and fell into it. Objects fell noisily behind the desk. The vampire turned right and marched toward the two men. “God damn!”

Erik shuffled to his feet and dodged a large hand. He leapt over Patrick and pushed his way behind the desk. He noticed broken glass and small cylindrical bullets scattered over the phone. He jumped on as many bullets as he could and found the pistol. He opened chamber and slid a bullet into the weapon. The vampire picked up Patrick and tossed him upon the service counter. The wood beneath the counter groaned. The vampire stood and threatened to punch Patrick. Erik quickly grabbed Patrick by the shoulders and pulled. Patrick’s big frame fell hard upon the broken glass. He complained as he moaned about his back. Erik searched for the other bullets but they disappeared in the commotion. The vampire grabbed the Service desk and ripped the counter from the wooden frame. He tossed the granite counter top to the side and kicked the wood frame. It fell easily. The vampire stepped forward and grabbed Erik.

“Oh my god!” Erik recognized the large, overweight behemoth vampire as Christopher. The psychotic station owner he met a month ago. “F_ck! F_ck!” Erik swore and struggled but Christopher shook him straight. The pistol fell from his hand but caught upon his pinky. Erik struggled to regain control of the pistol before Christopher tore him apart. Christopher let go of Erik’s left arm to pull back his meaty fist. Erik let go of the pistol and grabbed it. He felt for the pistol handle, then the trigger. Christoper’s punch missed as Erik twisted away. He pulled the pistol to waist level and squeezed the trigger.

‘Click’, ‘Click’ … bang!

The bullet stuck the vampire near the heart and forced him to fall backward. Erik looked down and again searched for the bullets and found the box of ammunition. He opened the box and found the other bullets lying upon the ground. “Get up, dude!” Erik stated sharply. Patrick sat up slowly as Christopher lay motionless. “Let’s go!” Erik helped the man up, quickly loaded the rest of the handgun. Patrick had large pieces of glass, flavored with whisky and vodka, stuck in his back. Both men walked past Christopher as he suddenly swung at Erik. Erik aimed and fired at Christopher’s head and ended his life. Erik kicked him hard for good measure and for all the good people he had killed. Erik looked to the right and found Christopher smiling as he tried to pull glass from his back. “What!” Erik shouted then helped the man.

“What day is it?” Erik sat in a grey plastic chair between the first and second checkout lanes. He placed the jug of water on the right lanes and had several cans of food on the right. He grabbed a can opener and a can of beans. His hangover began to pass near mid-day. The can of beans would be iffy on an unsettle stomach.

Erik looked up at the noon sky through the dirty window. Several bodies milled around outside. Unlike earlier in the morning Erik could make out that these bodies were aimless, likely zombies. Erik drunk a swallow of the water as he finished the beans. His stomach rumbled but Erik stood his ground. “It feels like a Sunday.”

Erik stands. His head swims. He turns and searches the checkout for a cloth or paper towel. He finds a dirty roll of paper towels. He grabs a hand full and walks to the window. He begins to wipe down the dust and grime. Within a minute Erik had half the window clean. A second minute revealed the depravity and depressed scene outside. The buildings all sighed with broken windows and rooftops that sagged. The bodies outside milled around and he confirmed his thought that they were zombies. Several wore dirty dresses, short and colorful. They wore similar sweaters with varsity letters. “Oh my god! Are those cheerleaders!” The young zombies long hair was torn and matted with blood. Their faces stared at the ground as they walked slowly left to right. Behind the cheerleaders other zombies marched. Erik finished the window and tossed the towels he used upon the floor. He turned and walked back to the chair. Erik sat upon the chair and watched the window. Within moments he caught the sight of someone running quickly past the window. Erik stood and stepped forward. Another someone walked up behind one of the cheerleaders and hacked at the young woman’s neck. The zombie fell sideways and immediately the other zombies began to mass upon the human man. A third man appeared and quickly dispatched several of the zombies. Several more people rushed forward and attacked the zombies. Erik watched from the window as vampire fell from the sky. He was three-times stronger then the average man but these humans seemed to be soldiers. As soon at the large winged beast landed upon the ground several jumped upon the vampires wings and pulled him to the ground. A third and fourth severed the vampire’s neck. Other vampire fell. They stuck the humans hard and killed them instantly but others replaced the killed and fought with the larger vampire.

A large bang upon the door in front of the store startled Erik and he stepped back. The aisle cabinet was still in the way of the door. “Hey!” shouted someone from outside the door. “Come on, man let me in.” Erik walked to the door. Outside the window the fighting continued. With some effort Erik pulled the cabinet from the door.

The banging on the windows eventually stopped. Erik kept himself busy in the back of the store. The zombie that had made him laugh was still prowling the aisles searching for Erik but Erik didn’t care. The sickly beast was slow and stupid and it was often entertaining. Within two days Erik named the beast Simon and would laugh at it from behind the warm glass doors that used to hold the milk. Within a week Erik had all the food and amenities he need in the back of the store and he also had security. Occasionally, he would run through the front of the store to aggravate Simon or to grab some liquor but most times he sat alone watching the pitiful thing stumble around the store. Near the end of the first week Erik had drank a bottle of whiskey and stumbled over the metal rack that held the milk. He fell head first into the glass door opening it. The door slammed against a second door sending a crack up the center. Simon happened to be near and he walked slowly toward Erik. Oblivious, Erik laughed and struggled to stand. His head swung wildly as he stood still upon his hands and knees. Simon stood over him and bent to grab him but Erik fell face first to the ground.

Minutes later Erik awoke to see Simon chewing on the fingers of Erik’s left hand. The sight of this thick, brown skinned monster eating him jarred him awake. Erik pulled his hand from the zombie’s grip. Simon groaned and leaned forward. The zombie’s energy level peaked and Erik struggled with the beast. His head still floated above the rest of his body. He fought to match up the human to the drunk as he pushed Simon’s rough hands and arms away from him. Simon stepped into the warm refrigerated cooler and leaped upon Erik. Erik screamed as he fought back. The simpleton that Erik assumed was within this beast had turned against him. Simon reached forward and tore open a white button down shirt Erik had just found. Then grabbed Erik’s chest and tighten it’s grip. The pain straighten Erik up and he landed a right hook. Simon fell sideways and onto the floor. Erik took his shirt off and pressed it hard against his chest. The blood from his chest wound stained the white shirt. Erik clenched his teeth as pain throbbed. Simon struggled to stand. Erik smashed his rotten head with his shoes ending the struggle.

Simon lay motionless upon the floor of Erik’s new house. All the work he had done to secure this place. All the comfort he had become used to in a few days was gone. Suddenly, unseen emotion erupted and Erik cried. He imaged scenes from his childhood and the people he once know. He pictured the flatted remains of Simon as his wife or his father. All of them lost to the infection. His friends all dead of changed. Loneliness suddenly crept in and Erik realized that no one knew where he was. Simon had been the last remaining friend but now he had nothing. He suddenly remembered his fingers. The zombie had been chewing on them. Erik looked and found them drenched in blood. “Oh god! Oh god!” he said in a panic. He found a rag and wiped the blood from his hands. He expected to see them missing but found them untouched. He then recalled Simon’s teeth had rotten away. Erik stood staring for long moments. He wanted to laugh but all he could think about was anger. He was furious with himself. Everything he touched he destroyed. Eric stepped from the glass doors and shoved over the first available shelf then the next. He picked up anything he could find and threw it. Aluminum cans flew everywhere till he crew tired and fell asleep.

Sunlight from the morning pierced the thin veil that was Erik’s eyelids and he blinked himself awake. His lids felt heavy but the light proved him wrong. His stomach groaned as it inched upward to his chest then throat. Erik stood quickly and bolted for the first available bathroom and wretched as he opened the door. Three bodies began moving as soon as the door opened. These zombies had trapped themselves within the bathroom for years. The smell was outrageous. Erik puked twice more. His chest heavy with drink. Erik then closed the door as the zombies began wiggling toward him. Erik searched the selves for Tylenol or anything that may help manage the fever of the hangover. Within the back he still had several jugs of water. He found a fever reducer – unbranded and walked to the back of the store. He stepped into the glass doors and stopped at the sight of Simon. Blood was heavy underneath his blackened head. Above his head was the bottle of liquor. Erik heaved. Turned and found a bucket to throw up in. “That god damned bottle of crap,” he said as he promised himself he would stop drinking. He cleaned up his face with his hands and found a jug of water. He drank a gallon and opened a second jug. He them stepped back out into the store. An empty chair sat within the wreckage of the store. Erik stepped over the broken shelves and rotten groceries and sat upon the chair. He drank from the jug and then placed it upon the floor. In front of him was the large picture window. The dust had faded everything outside the store but he noticed something was going on outside. Several zombies/people he couldn’t tell marched outside the windows.

A vampire leapt from the building and fell toward the survivor’s. Erik saw it and instantly recognized it was heading to hit the group. “Separate!” He shouted loudly and pushed Patrick forward. Patrick looked up and saw the vampire falling toward them. He turned and screamed at the group. Slowly, the group separated into two halves but the vampire swept up a large man, with a camouflaged vest and pants. The man fought bravely and the vampire released him but fell into a group of infected. Unconscious from the fall the man had no chance and the group lost another member.

“We need to get into that building,” shouted Erik. The Haitian stepped away quickly and rose into the air. “I will cover you.”

“Run!” Erik shouted.

Both groups ran toward the closed doors of the Fields building. The first ones to the door attempted to open the doors but they were locked and chained.

Erik followed and banged on the door. “Crap.” He watched as the vampire circled above him. The Haitian stuck out with his large black wings and tall frame but the others, the good or bad, were undecipherable. It was similar to a ballet of bird circling prey below. The door had a thick sheet of plywood nailed to the foundation. “They have to get in somewhere,” shouted Erik as the others around him began to fight a new horde of infected. “They fly in,” added Patrick but Erik ignored him and ran along the wall of the building. A tall zombie fell upon him and Erik collapsed under the weight. His was crouched on the ground as he fought the ugly, long, blood-stained arms. He could see the others approach but Erik didn’t have time to wait for them. Erik pushed his feet out from under him and shoved the zombies ankles backward. Erik heard a loud snap and then the beast fell upon him. With it’s teeth and grabbed a mass of t-shirt and began to bite. Erik shoved the zombie to the right where a young woman, just over Kali’s age, stabbed him in the side of the head. Erik thanked the young woman and stood as she followed. He shoved another zombie backward and it tumbled into others. The young woman followed Erik. Erik found and emergency exit and pulled but it was also locked. “I wish you wouldn’t follow me,” Erik said as he avoided the grasp of another zombie. The young woman allowed the zombie to fall forward and spiked him through the back of the neck. “I’m a lot better then my looks will show,” the young woman replied. “I know,” Erik said, “you should be home playing with dolls.”

The young woman then grabbed Erik by the back of the shirt forcing him to fall backward. His head struck her leather covered feet. “I heard about your honest, forceful reputation,” she spat from above him. “I’m hear to tell you I can take care of myself.” She then removed her feet from the back of Erik’s head and approached a group of zombies with a hatchet. Within moments she dispatched the group and they lay quivering upon the ground. “Ambrosia,” shouted Patrick as he approached. “What did you do? Are you alright Erik?”

“I’m fine Patrick. She just put me in my place. Ambrosia, you say?” Erik then extended a hand and shook. “I didn’t mean anything, offensive.” He whispered. Ambrosia smiled at Erik and turned.

The entire group followed Erik into a thick brush behind the building. The zombies struggled to maneuver through the close-knit trees but it was also harder to fight them without the room. They lost three more soldier leaving only ten. Three women and seven men fought behind Erik as he pushed through the trees in the hopes of finding a back door to the high rise. Darkness began to creep up upon the survivors as two more fell. Finally, after battling through the trees and entrance appeared but it was guarded by a large muscular beast with long twisted horns upon his bloated body. “What the hell is that?” Patrick said as he approached. “Shh…shh,” Erik replied quickly and accentuated with his hands up and toward the group. “It’s a frick’n Minotaur.”

“Are you serious,” Patrick whispered. “Yeah, the thing rushes like a football player. It’s strong as crap but I believe it is really stupid,” Erik urged the group to split up and stay within the trees. The zombie were still a problem but the Minotaur would kill a lot faster. To make matters worse the green-eyed snake creatures appeared also. “I don’t know what they are,” Erik whispered before Patrick could ask. He looked up into the sky to see the sun had disappeared behind the building leaving long tree-like shadows. “But if they have the same powers as our friend Siren we are in trouble.”

The guards were unaware of the group until Erik shouted and they all ran from the trees. Nine simple humans against monsters.

Infecting a human and hijacking the soft pink muffin that was the brain was one thing. Controlling the body and accessing the intelligence was another. The parasite buried itself within the brain. A small single-celled organism no bigger then the tip of a pencil but this little parasite rebuilt the host one duplicated cell at a time. The host was always imperfect. Even in it’s imperfect condition the parasite fed and life was good. The host, the poor human suitcase, wasn’t so lucky. It begins with loss of body function. Sweating and a high fever then a feeling of being trapped behind the eyes of your body. Within an hour the parasite has replaced the blood cells. Within another hour the muscles.

Replacing the muscles is particularly painful as the old muscle cell dies and is replaced by the parasite. Once the muscles are replaced then the parasite manages the electrical impulses from the brain. The body serves well as a meal but cell expansion is quick and room is quickly eaten up. The parasite isn’t interested in any particular body part just a blood transfer. The more it transfers the better. The bloodier the better. Each infected human is interested in spreading the parasite to the uninfected.

The survivors battled the infected. The arrow-shaped line broke apart every time a surviving soldier would fall. Erik, Siren and the Haitian walked near the center of the line killing anything that approached from behind or broke through the line. Every time a soldier fell his chest would tighten and twist. Anxiety, guilt and helplessness would ravage through his body because he had to continue on. Erik and everyone else in this little army had more important things to do then rescue the fallen. They had to rescue the world outside the walls.

The Haitian never made it out of the towers when Erik was grabbed. He was taken prisoner by Gabriel and his lieutenants. The Haitian told Erik he overheard the other vampires plan to take over more territory. They wanted to begin dominating the non-vampire world. Gabriel seemed barely capable of controlling his herd, admitted the Haitian. “If it wasn’t for his strength and unique features the majority of the vampire would kill him within moments.”

The Haitian used this animosity to his advantage. He waited till his wings healed then jumped from the hole in the sky rise. The others, still questioning the ability to fly, stood and watched as the Haitian disappeared. He was later picked up by the Network and brought underground. He became a valuable asset to the queen.

Siren disappeared when Gabriel’s forces overwhelmed the prison floor. She hid within the darkness. Her sisters were not so lucky and were quickly restrained and disappeared somewhere within the floors of the building. Siren slowly opened the stairwell door and slid into the night. Several excited whispers erupted then darkness as the Network knocked her out and took her underground.

The group approached the Fields building. The large, dark hole within the side of the building was busy with winged vampire. The large creatures flew from the building and landed upon other buildings. They stood watching the streets below like birds resting upon steel power lines. The Network’s vampire were supposed to provide support but Erik was not keen on trusting anything no human. Even his friend the Haitian was a little suspicious sometimes but Erik moved forward. The zombie population within the ranks of the soldiers front lines had thinned and they had moved ahead quickly. The sun overhead flirted with the tall steel skeletons above them. Darkness would soon make it very difficult to end the war. The surviving soldier’s created a parameter and discussed a plan.

“Gabriel!” shouted Erik as the vampire pushed upward and toward the center of the city. Erik repeated it loudly but the vampire continued forward.

The Queen lay upon the ground. The soldiers she fell upon stood over her. They were hurt but still alive. The joyous attitude of the army suddenly turned. Anger beat back any progress the Network had made by defeating Gabriel’s army. The zombies still fought and clawed to turn the human survivors into dinner. They created a parameter around the Queen. “Even in death,” Eric thought, “she was still the most beautiful creature.” The queen wore a torn white dress. The boots she wore underground were replaced by bare feet, decorated with cherry red toenails. Her large wings were broken. One folded behind her, the small bones within the wing broken and tearing from the skin. A vehicle approached from behind what was left of the army and Erik looked back. A large van rolled slowly through the path of bodies the battle had left behind them. Each obstacle, whether a zombie or human survivor had to be painstakingly moved out of the way. Erik and the Haitian moved toward the van as the others stayed to protect the queen. The van stopped short of Erik and two large men stepped from the two front doors. They held a single a rifle close to their chests and at the ready. Any zombies that approached were dispatched quickly.

From the large sliding door on the left side other people began to step out. Siren slowly slid from the van. Her snake-like body finding it difficult to gently leap from the van. She elevated herself till her large tail could support her on the ground. Erik stepped forward. Siren turned quickly and stood tell. She was ready to strike Erik down till she realized who was standing in front of her. She screamed with delight. The noise shaking Erik, who had barely heard a word from the weird snake creature. Siren quickly slid up to Erik and embraced him. “How are you?” He said as he realized he had left the ground. The Haitian stepped up to one of the human guards and advised them that the queen had been assassinated. Gabriel, or one of him minion had snapped her neck and tossed her to the ground. A terrified scream erupted from the back of the van and it shook violently. Kali appeared quickly and stood. Her face was pale and she had been crying. Erik noticed, within moments that the young ladies wings had grown and stretched from her back. They trembled as Kali cried. Erik ran to her. He tried to embrace her but Kali grunted and shoved him backward. “What the hell?” Shouted Erik as he tripped and fell. “She doesn’t know you, Erik.” The Haitian said as he helped to pick him up. “The transition removed those memories from her young mind. The new queen is filled with a lot of anger and bitterness.”

Erik paused. “The new queen?”

“Yes, Kali has replaced the queen.”

“Does that mean you are the queen’s adviser?”

“That decision has yet to be made.” The Haitian stepped away to speak to the current army leaders. Siren stepped over to Kali to comfort her. “Well, since you don’t need me anymore I will just leave,” Erik said, his confidence and feeling dashed.

“Don’t be so dumb,” said a familiar voice. Patrick walked up from behind Erik and clasp his shoulder. “Aren’t you dead, yet?” Erik replied. “Funny man,” Patrick said as he pushed Erik toward the Haitian and the others.

“Gabriel is headed back to his nest. He will recover. Garrett…,” he said as he looked upon a large, armor-clad vampire, “take the rest of the flying division and station them upon the building surrounding the nest. Erik and the rest of the ground division will push through Howard street then we can meet at the crossroads of Howard and First. I’m sure Gabriel will be ready for us.”

Garrett stepped from the group and began to beat his wings slowly, deliberately trying to catch some air. He stepped forward with several long strides then pushed upward. Erik followed the flying vampire till he met others on top of a wrecked building. Within moments a large company of vampire dove into the late day sky and began to fly. The Haitian turned his attention toward Erik and the others on the ground. He instructed and contingency of remaining vampire to collect the queen and take her back to the Network base. The rest of the ground troops were to begin toward the corner of Howard and First.

Erik watched as the small army of human warriors began forward. They formed a large arrow shaped formation. When they approached a group of zombies they would stab or shoot them quickly then the front of line would step back allowing the next line to step forward. The army was currently three lines deep each diagonal side holding fifteen people. Erik walked with the Haitian and Siren near the rear of the formation. Kali, the new queen. was returning to the Network base.

“Back together again,” Erik said with a smile.

Erik had stored maybe 20 small rounds for his pistol within his tattered pant’s pockets and a couple others in the dress shirt he had found a day earlier. The shirt was covered in blood in just ten minutes of fighting. The zombie press forward as the small human army pressed back. The zombie had strength and numbers but the humans had strategy and weapons. The plan, as far as Erik could tell, was to approach the zombies from the front and then break off to the sides. This would force the zombies into the middle then the humans could beat them down from two ends but it didn’t allow anyone to use the effective black powder guns everyone was familiar with. Unfortunately, some unlucky souls would fire off a round in desperation and it would take out a couple undead then wound a couple others then take out a human on the opposite side. The prevailing strategy was the beat the un-living hell out of the beasts. This was also a partial win against the vampire above because it kept most of the humans out of sight. The torn up building awnings protected them for the death above. Occasionally, Erik would catch sight of the Haitian above him. “He flew like a hawk to dinner,” Erik thought and he swung hard and split the skull of a thirteen year old zombie. The young zombies had bothered Erik for years. He dreamt about the horrors of finding his children eaten alive every night. He slept very little outside the walls of the city. The past two weeks Erik realized was the most he had slept since the infection began. Another zombie fell into him. Patrick had stationed himself to Erik’s right side and he had fallen backward. The other side of the human attack column were slicing through the rotten flesh quickly but this forced the remaining zombies to press hard upon Erik’s column. It was an advantage for the zombie when they could catch a human soldier off guard. Erik, though was stoic and pushed back. He had found an unsettling peace within this world of horror. A necessity to kill or be killed.

The other side of the human attack column met Erik’s column and both sides celebrated with a high five or a congratulatory slap on the back. Erik avoided any of this and stepped out of the way. He found a position that was relatively safe and looked up. Few vampire flew. The evening sun displayed the carnage that was above the human army. Vampire lay upon the awnings and hang from the corners of the buildings. Some hang on to windows high above Erik’s head. Their wings broken. Blood falls from their body and paints the walls below the windows. Some fall, the strength sapped from the aerial battle. The buildings within the area of Fourth and Main street are not the tallest but they stand, on average ten stories. The fall would kill an elephant and it certainly killed the vampire that fell. The vampire fell in a awkward fashion. Like oversized leaves in the fall tumbling from concrete trees. Erik found the Haitian standing upon one of the smaller buildings. His face was bloody and he stood watching. Erik looked around for any trouble before he tried to wave down his winged friend. The Haitian noticed him and immediately leaped from the building. The large black man dove head first toward the ground then expertly pulled up, spread his wings outward and behind then fell gracefully to the ground.

“Brother, what’s going on?” The Haitian said with a smile. “Hey, this is Erik the Immortal,” offered Patrick from behind him. Erik laughed stopped then bellowed loudly. His delight bounced from the skeletal concrete leftovers of Ransom and infected the other soldiers. The survivors of the Battle of Ransom laughed till the Queen fell from the sky and disappeared into a group of the soldiers. The entire army gasp at once as they scattered and sought refuse under the broken awnings. Another vampire fell hard from above and shattered the awning about some soldiers. The aluminum strips fell with such force three humans died within moments. Erik looked up and saw five vampire flying high above the ground. One floated with large, grotesque claws for feet.

An old rusty truck bounced hard, falling within a saucer shaped pothole. Erik lay prone next to the spider woman. He was thrown into the air and fell upon the bed of the truck hard. “Damn it!” He swore as he held his head. That was before he realized the large abdomen of the spider woman lay next to him strapped to the bed of the truck. “What the hell?” He shouted but Ambrosia and Brittany heard nothing. Ambrosia drove the truck. The Calico fur ,upon her face, blowing from the wind of an open window. Brittany, a tall half human/half goat satyr sat in the passenger seat. Erik banged on the glass separating the cab of the truck from the back of the truck. Brittany turned and smiled as Erik fell upon his back after the truck hit another pot hole.

Ambrosia slowed the truck and pulled into a small gas station. The pumps were old. The station was long. A green sign with the letters SWa hung over the front door. Ambrosia stepped out of the trunk and immediately a large man stepped from the glass doors. A long shotgun primed and pointing toward the cat woman. Erik nursed his swore back then leapt over the side of the trunk. “Hold up man,” he insisted. “Put the gun down please.”

“I’m not serving any freaks around here.” The station owner then pointed the gun at Erik. Erik froze where he stood, hiding partially behind the gas pumps. “Listen, dude. We don’t want any problems. We just need gas.”

The station owner began to speak then noticed the large abdomen of the spider woman. “What the hell you got in there?” He asked. Erik smiled.

“It’s a spider woman. She tried to eat me.”

“Is it dead?”

“I don’t know, is it?” Erik asked Ambrosia. Brittany stood on the passenger side of the truck. Her unusual legs hidden from view. “It’s just unconscious.” Brittany’s voice had a hint of feminine but was on the low end. “We are taking her to Ransom for a trial.”

“Ransom? Just kill the thing. These freaks…” He points at the cat-like features of Ambrosia’s colorful face. “…are not like us. Not human.”

“Mister,” Erik begins. “We are hunters. Our job is to find and detain creatures like this.” He points to the spider woman.

“Ambrosia is a part of the team. So is Brittany.” The satyr walks into view.

“What the hell?”

A van pulls into the gas station. A large man steps from the driver’s door. The side door slides open revealing Siren. Her snake-like body slides from the van. “Is there a problem here?” States the large man, a pistol aimed at the owner.

Overwhelmed the station owner lowers the shotgun and shouts. “None of the freaks will step foot inside my station. I will shoot you all!” The owner turns and disappears into the station. Ambrosia growls and disappears back into the trunk. Brittany steps over to Siren and begins a conversation. “I guess I’ll pump the damn gas?” Erik says loudly as he reluctantly pulls hose from the pump.

“Oh my god,” Erik swore loudly while fighting with a sticky mass stuck to his arms and chest. The thick white goo was shot from the abdomen of a spider woman on top of him. “Can you stop!” He shouted before barely avoiding a mouthful of the stuff. The woman was five foot seven inches tall with a large spider-like abdomen. Six thin legs supported the abdomen and she stood over Erik and attempted to press a hollow tube through him. Lucky for Erik his arms were still fairly mobile and he was able to wrestle the thin fangs away from him. This monster born from the God stone just months ago was still inexperienced enough to allow Erik a chance. The fangs grew from the palms of her hands extending the length of her arms two feet. Poison dripped from the ends and had already paralyzed Erik’s legs and waist. Erik turned his head to avoid another stab at his head and noticed the spider woman had painted her human toes. “You painted your toes? How the hell did you do that?” He shouted. The woman pushed down hard and managed to pin Erik’s shoulder. “Damn it! Where the hell are you Ambrosia! Can I get a little help here!”

Within moments after asking the spider woman reared up upon her hind legs. Lifting the human body high into the air. Erik winced as she fell back down. Her naked feet slamming down upon each side of his waist. Erik screamed and through the corner of his eye noticed the familiar Calico fur of one of his companions. Erik had turned Ambrosia into sort of a cat woman using the God stone just two years ago. The siege of Gabriel’s castle was successful. The creatures within the walled city escaped into the outside world. Erik left with them but unable to fly had to bargain his way to freedom. He gave up the God stone and has now been chasing it ever since.

Erik watched as a large winged black creature flew over his head. It circled and then dived. The Haitian, or Jean Paul as he liked to be called, crashed into the spider woman. The winged vampire was larger then most of the other vampire created since the infection many years prior to the adventure within the walls. Jean Paul and the spider woman tumbled to the ground. Erik could only hear the wrestling match and listen to the shouting as Jean Paul and Ambrosia tried to restrain the monster. Some thing rumbled slowly past Erik and he tried to jump but his limbs were numb. He looked to his left to see Siren patiently. Siren was a Naga. She was beautiful at the top and snake-like at the bottom. The Naga had a unique talent to manipulate shadows but Erik was unable to see anything. His head began to swim then his eyes became heavy and he feel asleep.

“Your decision has been accepted.”

Immediately after, a woman screamed. The scream echoed through the darkness followed by the a chorus of men groaning. Objects shuffled violently as the darkness again pressed upon Erik’s chest. He gasp for air but it slid through his clenched teeth like a thick soup. He took a desperate breath as the groans and screams dissipated. His head became heavy and his eyelids weighed like steel.

Erik woke. He opened his eyes slowly. The scene was painted in screams in front of him. Ambrosia bounced violently. Large feathered wings struggled behind her. Upon the young woman’s skin was a thick fur grey in sections but generally white short hair. When she screamed Erik could she thin, but sharp canine teeth. Outside of the room Erik notice other creatures bounding upon the floor. He sat up slowly. His head throbbed. Ambrosia turned her head and stared at him. The pain pulled the right-side of her face upward but Erik studied her eyes. They shimmered in the slices of light that snuck into the room. The center, where the human iris used to be, were now oblong and vertical. The ends tapered and rounded. One of the creatures screamed loudly outside. The noise was masculine. The tone low and gargled. Erik used the wall behind him to stand. Ambrosia followed him with her eyes as he walked from the room. Outside of the room Erik found a mess of bodies all transforming. They were becoming his mutant creature army but the pain weakened him. The thought of having caused the pain throttled him till he held his hands to his face.

Erik noticed at the stairwell door a tall creature stood watching. “Oh my God, Brittany.” Erik said as he recognized the large satyr he met weeks ago. Her face was bruised and her clothing was stained in blood. A large gash bled above her right knee. Erik maneuvered past a large human-like rat and armored insect creature. He then carefully stepped over several other similar insect-like creatures and stood in front of the tall satyr. The look on Brittany’s beautifully angry face force Erik to step back. Brittany stepped forward. Her hoofed feet echoing loudly upon the ground. “What did you do?” She growled.

Erik stepped back as Brittany marched toward him. “I don’t know.. I don’t know,” Erik pleaded as he ran out of room to back up. The satyr stopped short of crushing Erik. Her large breast moments from his forehead. She then embraced him. Pressing him into her breast. “You came back for me,” she added in her deep but feminine voice. Brittany then released Erik and stepped back. “I have a surprise for you.”

She stepped to the right and the Haitian stood proudly behind her. Next to the large black man stood Siren and one of her sisters. Scylla’s elongated face was scarred and bloody. Her eyes glowed green within the intermittent darkness.

“Gabriel has left,” the Haitian began. “We fought and lost many of our soldiers. The battle is long from over but the coward has disappeared over the wall.”

“What the hell,” Erik shouted. “Why the hell do I need an army of monsters then?”

“Because we are going to take over this city and make it our own.”

Erik and his army marched up the stairs of the building. The ant-men surrounded him as Ambrosia, Brittany and the Haitian walked ahead. The two large soldiers had returned to the prison floor when Erik was under the influence of the God stone and had mutated into large rat-faced soldiers. A tail had grown up and curled above their heads. The battle for control of the building was slow as the vampire became overwhelmed by Erik’s army. The ant men’s armor deflecting the sharp claws. Even after a sever beating the ant men stood easily to overwhelm. The large mice quickly whipped around the large building suite that Gabriel had used to house his lair. Armed with semi-automatic weapons they put down the majority of the enemy army.

The extent of Gabriel’s army was laid upon the feet of Erik’s army. The vampire lay dead with the wings either torn to pieces or laying still. A few green-eyed creatures lay upon the dead but many ran from the fight. Cowards along with the creature leader, Gabriel. Erik’s army had defeated Gabriel and his vampire army. The Network took over the City of Zombies. The zombies upon the city were beaten back till only a few remained. They milled around the city waiting for an opportunity to repopulate. Always a threat but manageable.

Erik and the others prepared to confront Gabriel again outside the walls of the city.

The God stone felt cold in Erik’s hands. It was glossy black and began to blur. Erik shook his head. He looked up and squinted as the image of Ambrosia meshed with his oldest daughter. The room stretched sideways then horizontally and finally darkness.

Ambrosia jolted over to Erik’s side saving him from crashing upon the hard floor. She tried to remove the stone from his hand but screamed. The stone shot out a frightening electric charge that reached out toward her then retreated. Ambrosia stood. Stepped back and wondered what could be done. Outside of the small room the two large, well armed, soldiers walked slowly through the prison floor looking for both Ambrosia and Erik. They were followed by a group of green-eyed men slithering down the stairs.

To Erik the darkness was overwhelming. The air was thick and Erik struggled to breath. A bright star appeared above him then quickly grew till a small figure appeared. Erik pushed himself up. His breathing labored and his body oppressed by an unseen weight. Behind him was a wall and Erik used it to lean against. The small figure floated near to him and became more pronounced. The shape or her face appeared as a young woman, barely 11 years old. Within moment Erik recognized the young woman as his daughter Rebecca.

Erik tried to speak but couldn’t. Rebecca knelt beside him and spoke.

“You have been granted the ability to create life upon the world,” she began in a scripted manner. Her eyes hollow and staring off into the distance. “Once granted this ability you are then responsible for the beings created and their welfare. This ability comes with a cost. The price of a life removed and replaced with another.”

Outside of the stress of this strange environment Erik wondered about the complexity of the war he was about to start. The army that he didn’t have and the ignorance it took to even step into the battle.

Rebecca placed a hand upon the leg of her father. The weight of the environment lightened but he was still unable to talk. “You would like to create an army,” Rebecca said. All emotion gone from the words. “There are several life forms within the vicinity. It will create a small army but effective, non-the-less. I await a decision.”

The door opened easily as Erik and the few remaining soldiers stepped into Gabriel’s tall base of operations. The stairs stood in front of him, illuminated by two emergency lights on each side of the current row. Two large men stepped forward, forcing Erik to step back. “Hey, a-holes,” Erik shouted but quickly closed his mouth when he heard steps banging down the row of steps above his head. The two men placed their weapons upon their shoulder and walked in deliberate, jerky movements. Erik followed slowly behind as Ambrosia took the rear of the small formation. Two more soldiers stood at the read entrance as Erik began up the stairs.

The two large men fired quickly and in short bursts and several bodies fell, with a thud, upon the stairs. One rolled down the stairs and Erik stepped to the side and let the small man tumble downward. Two more men lay, dead, upon the stairs forcing Erik to step over them. Several more footsteps rush down the stairs as the group begins up the second set of stairs. A firefight rings through the small vertical corridor, lasting only several seconds. Erik marches up the stairs. He pushed the bodies to the side. Ambrosia screamed as a body rolled into her and pushed her into the side of the steps. Erik stops to help as the two large men continue up the stairs. Erik and Ambrosia continue up the stairs listening to the large men shoot and take down Gabriel’s guards. Within moments they are approaching the prisoner floor and Erik stops. “I have to check something,” Erik says as he tried to open the thick blue door to the floor. The door stuck. Within moments Erik had kicked through the wall beside the door and entered.

The prison floor was quiet. An emergency light lit the center of each hallway. The thick single-windowed doors were all open. Any residents gone. Ambrosia followed Erik into the prison floor. “What are we looking for?” Ambrosia asked.

“A black rock,” Erik said as he picked up an abandoned flashlight. “Your looking for a black rock, in the dark?”

“Yes,” Erik said and disappeared into one of the rooms. His flashlight swung throughout the room till he reappeared outside. “Not there.”

Ambrosia followed Erik through a couple more rooms then became inpatient. “Erik, your not going to find a black rock in the dark and anyways what does it matter?”

Erik flashed the light at Ambrosia. Her eyes flashed blue, like his daughter’s eyes once were. “It’s the key to winning anything against Gabriel. We need an army of out own.” Ambrosia said nothing but helped Erik search. Ten minutes into the search Erik noticed a backpack that was similar to the one Kali used to wear. “Found it.”

Erik tore open the bag and searched it but he found nothing. “Damn it,” he thought, “Gabriel must of found it. If he did then…” He began to say. The flashlight caught a glimmer in the corner of the room. Erik walked to the corner and knelt. Tucked within the corner of the wall was a hint of a mirrored object but the wall was unbroken. Erik banged on the corner with his fist and a small section of the wall fell forward. The God stone sat near the corner and Erik grabbed it.

Nine long steps forward. Every moment that Erik’s feet hit the leaf-littered the Minotaur stepped closer. The world slowed as he recalled stepping through the gate of the city. Watching the men die in the field. Innocent men torn to pieces because of corrupted human laziness outside the walls. The easy way out, Erik enjoyed the easy way so why was he leading a gaggle of stupid humans to their death in moments? It was a valid question, he thought as he stepped forward again. The Minotaur snorted blowing crap from his enormous nose. “This is a stupid plan?” Erik suddenly thought. Erik stepped forward with his right foot. Kicked his left foot from beneath him. He leaned to the right and aimed for the large hybrid human monster’s feet. Erik flew through the air like a human 2×4. Stiff and tough as nails, Erik landed right at the Minotaur’s feet and braced for impact as the large beast began to fall forward.

The impact was brutal as Erik hit the ground at full speed. He tripped the Minotaur and tumbled through the leaves and random debris. Several broken branches reached out and slapped him in the face and chest. He stopped and heard the Minotaur growl then sigh. Ambrosia hacked away at the large beast till it stopped moving. Erik laid within the leaves, his body sore. Patrick ran up to him and offered a hand. Erik refused staring at the man’s broken white tennis shoes. Moments later, those tennis shoes rose into the air then fell hard back upon the ground. Erik got to his knees to see Patrick crushed and lying in a pool of crimson blood. “What the hell?” Shouted Erik. The green-eyed man stood guard at the door. One of them held his small hands above him. The darkness had not yet disappeared leaving small shadows tracing the trees. This freak of a man crushed Patrick and extinguished any remaining laziness from Erik’s being. He searched for his pistol but it was gone. It fell from his waistband when Erik tripped the Minotaur. A cold patch suddenly froze his right arm and waist and something began to lift him from the ground. Erik growled as he stared at the green men. He rolled and fell to the ground. He tried to stand but something grabbed his ankle tripping him. His ankle froze and strained as the shadows began to pull. He looked up to see Ambrosia staring. Her face stiff with fear. “Shoot the bastards!” Erik screamed and he grabbed the leg of the Minotaur. “God damn shoot them!” Fire erupted from the small barrels of the pistols and rifles. The green-eyed men fell quickly. The cold wrap upon Erik’s ankle disappeared and he got to his knees. “Infected behind you,” he shouted as several remaining soldiers turned and fought with a infected pair.

Erik found his pistol. Walked up to the first infected woman and shot her in the head. He then clubbed the second moments before it bit into a young soldier that was losing the battle. One shot permanently stopped the second infected woman and Erik shouted to the seven remaining soldier. “Let’s go!” He turned but stopped and stared at Patrick. His head was unrecognizable so Erik avoided it. “Saved my life more times than I can count,” he said in memorandum. “Damn.”

“Kali Summers”, a BlackAdder guard read off a sheet as he stood in front of a thin ten-year old girl.

“Steve Summers,” the guard moved to the left and stood above an older man. Steve Summers struggled with the leather wrist restraints.

“Mr. Summers,” began the guard. “I suggest you stop.” The BlackAdder guard didn’t smile but the statement was advisory and not threatening.

“This is ridiculous,” Steve muttered, “My daughter is only ten. At least release her.”

The guard moved to a thin brunette ignoring the statement.

“Andrea Summers,” the woman stood stoic and waited for the guard to pass. Tears began to fall but she stood stiffly gazing into the world ahead of her.

“Erik Moore,” Erik leaned against the stone wall behind him. His long hair was matted in places. His face was dirty. “You were always a loser.” The guard spat. Erik looked up slowly as the guard passed.

“Sean and Andrew Dean,” said the guard as he passed two black men.

“My god, you are Haitian.” Said the guard as he stopped in front of a seven-foot black man. The haitian had a large chest and arms thick as concrete.

“My name is Jean Paul. ‘My god’ I hear often because of my height but ‘you are a Haitian’ is the first.” The Haitian spoke English with a thick French accent.

“How did you get up hear,” the guard asked. “Immigration has been banned for years.”

The Haitian stood taller and spoke loudly,” I am an American.”

“America, hasn’t existed for many years. There are no more Americans.” The guard moved on to the next in line. Another guard, overweight and sweating under the late morning late, walked up to the group.

“You have all been charged with crimes against the Northwest Territory. Larceny…” The overweight guard stood in front of Kali and her family. “…I’ve been looking for you for years.” He said. “…Murder, conspiracy against the leadership and just being a bum.” The overweight guard stood in front of Erik and shoved him into the stone wall behind him. “I’m so tired of looking at your pathetic ass sitting under the Anderson Avenue bridge. All you do is drink and sleep. It’s a pleasure passing you on to the infected.”

Erik spit which prompted a quick strike to the chest. The overweight guard swore turned and shouted to the other BlackAdder guards. “Do we have their belongings?”

“Yes, sir,” replied a guard searching though a backpack upon the bed of a truck. Erik noticed Steve Summers begin to get figidy. His daughter, beside him, began to whisper. “Hey, hey!” Steve began to bellow. “You have to let us go. Let us go!”

Steve then ran forward toward the truck. Each prisoner was tied together with a long continuous chain. Leather straps held their arms behind their backs. As Steve ran forward he pulled the other prisoners with him causing them all to charge toward the truck.

“What the hell!” Shouted the overweight guard as he rush back toward the prisoners. He then smacked Steve hard upon the face with the butt of his rifle. Steve fell to the right followed by the first few on his left.

“Get the hell up.”

Kali and Andrea stood. Steve was slow to stand holding the side of his face. His mouth was bloody and face was red.

“Get them back in line. Start moving them into the gates.”

“What about their stuff,” asked one of the guards sorting thorugh the personal items.

“Give them back their damn stuff.”

The guards gave back what they had stolen from the prisoners minus anything valuable or any cash. Steve requested that the guards place Kali’s backpack upon her shoulders.

Soon the guard multiplied and stood in front of the prisoners. After an order to release the restraints each prisoner was released from the long chain and the leather bindings. After a short period of adjustement then were ordered onto two large, rectagular hay wagons. The guards, nervous from Steve’s attempt to run, became restless. Two tractors pulled up to the hay wagons and they were attached. Within moments, they began toward the gate and then through the gate.

BurgerPlace stood on the left, fifty feet ahead of the closest survivor. It was a small building. Weeds grew from the roof, making it look like a flat grassy ledge with small aluminum pipes jutting from it. The sides of the building were in bad shape with small planks falling forward slightly. It wasn’t the greatest plan to bunk in the old BurgerPlace but the sun had almost fallen into the horizon. It’s final moments marked by splashes of yellow, red and orange.

Erik could hear the shuffling of feet all around him. The infected moved slowly but they had overwhelming numbers. Patient zero was developed just around the corner from BurgerPlace. Mercy hospital stood peeking from the smaller buildings that surrounded it. It’s small windows broken and the white walls dirty. Abandoned for years the building looked like a place of horror films. The infected spread from Ransom to the world outside. The government’s initial reaction was to hit the infected hard with so called “cures” then finally an assault. The military pushed and shoved American’s around for years till finally the country split apart. It was now run my several factions. Each faction had its own idea on containment. The walls came from the Northeast faction.

Erik passed a Volkswagen Beetle. It’s windows were caked with dirt and smeared opaque. Something human-like was inside. Erik opened the door and let the remains fall upon the parking lot. The bones were bleached from the chest up. The lower extremities were darker but still bone. A baseball bat sat within the passenger seat and Erik reached in to grab it. Erik placed the bat on his shoulder and met the others near the front of BurgerPlace The darkness began to creep over the Fields building as grunts echoed through the grass. The noise of the infected mashing their broken teeth, pounding their meaty feet upon the ground was unnerving. Anxiety moved the group forward as they walked toward the old restaurant. The BurgerPlace sign stood outside two large windows. The sign spelled out the restaurant name with a large letter B at the peak of the roof. The other letters followed downward till the E sat about eight-foot from the ground. The building seemed a little straighter as the group approached.

“This is a stupid idea,” said the little blonde girl. It was an interruption that surprised Erik and the surrounding adults. “Kali, don’t be disrespectful,” said her mother.

“It’s not the smartest idea,” Erik replied. Kali’s mother frowned. “… but it’s really the only choice we have. The infected will surround us in minutes in the dark and they will take us down faster then that.”

The Haitian and his friends reached the restaurant first and began banging on the plywood windows screaming “Hello!”. Erik wandered off to the right as Kali and the family stayed and watched. Erik searched for a door or some entrance. Toward the back of the small building Erik began to hear the shuffling of many feet. He looked outward and noticed shadows stumbling toward the building. The light from the sun was almost completely gone. He moved quietly and quickly behind the building searching for something to pull on but the only door was locked securely.

“They would have to break in”, he thought till he heard a burst of laughter from someone unfamiliar. Erik walked from the back of the building toward the other side. With one eye he watched the shadows turn into the infected. With the other he saw a drive-thru window. Within the window was another shadow but this form was animated. He seemed to be talking to the group.

Erik approached the window with anxiety building. The man within the window seemed too jovial for this dire situation. He seemed to be unbothered by the approaching danger.

“We have zombies approaching, if anyone cares!” Erik shouted.

“Damnit, dude you need to shut the hell up and help us out here?” Said one of the black men. The man in the window smiled.

“Andrew, is it?” The man said calmly.

“Don’t worry about it. The stupid creatures are stuck behind a fence. You get several moments before they figure out they can walk around it.”

“They can WALK around it!” Andrew shouted.

“So what the hell you doing here all alone,” Erik said loudly.

“Oh, yah you were not here when I explained this situation. My name is Christopher.” The man stepped back from the window and stuck out his hand. “I’m not interested in shaking your hand,” Erik replied but Christopher just shook his hand up and down like it was blowing up and down in a breeze. Erik looked back at the horde and they seemed to be closer. “There is no fence back there!”

Christopher was quiet and his hand was still waiting to receive a handshake. “Are you a freak’n idiot?” Erik shouted.

“Just shake his F_n’k hand asshole,” Andrew shouted as he adjusted the cap on his head. “Hell,” Erik muttered and walked forward. He took Christopher’s meaty palm and shook it. Suddenly, Christopher’s grip increased and Erik’s hand disappeared into the fast food window. A large bearded face appeared. His eyes were wide and angry. Large sleepless sacks of skin hung under his eyes. “Welcome, to Station 1. We have a specific set of rules if you want to enter this safe house.” Christopher’s grip increased as Erik struggled to force its release. “Rule number one, you will be polite at all times! Rule number two, My rules are to be followed at all times and you will stay alive. Rule three, you better get into this building or you will not be able to follow my rules.” Christopher laughed hard, released Erik’s hand and disappeared. Erik pulled back from the window and stared hard into the darkness behind the glass.

Christopher shouted from the back of the building, “Rule four! Get the hell in here. I lied about the fence.”

Edit

The grass stood tall and was sharp as it tore at the bare skin beneath the sleeves of Erik’s t-shirt. It whip at him as he fled from the walking infected all around him. There were, at one point, twenty people all dropped just inside the walls. Erik fled the cruel cheering of the guards and eventually the noise of the eating and screaming dulled. Erik found a section where the grass was almost gone. He stood upon what was left of a long road. “Is this Michigan avenue?” Asked Sean as he stood with his hands on his knees. Erik heaved in a heavy breath and leaned back upon a small car buried in rust and green vines. After catching his breath he looked up to see the broken buildings that used to be Ransom. The old Fields building still loomed large above the rest. Erik used to work inside the building as a researcher before the infection took the city. The large glass atrium, that leaned downward and covered the top five floors, was busted leaving a gaping dark hole in the center of the building. Outside of the Fields building were several others. None of the buildings had a window intact or was in any condition to be lived in. Many leaned dangerously to the left or right ready to fall over at any moment. Other survivors filtered onto old Michigan avenue and surrounded Sean and Erik. The family, Kali, Steve and her mother stood on the left. Sean’s brother Andrew walked up slowly paused to take a breath. The tall dark-skinned man stepped into from the grass. Sean and Andrew smiled, called him “The Haitian” and embraced him. Soon the small patch of road was filled with people all muttering and crying.

Michigan avenue was laid out near the center of Ransom. Erik followed, what was left of the road, toward the giant wall. It was littered with rusted, weathered old cars. Each car was filled with the trapped remains of the people that tried to escape with them. The population of infected and non-infected tipped so quickly that any evacuation became impossible. In the end many of them either died because they broke and ran or because the sun cooked them under the rolled up windows. Erik stood suddenly and began walking toward Ransom. He followed the broken asphalt and rusted old cars. Sean, Andrew and several others followed behind Erik toward the city. A second group turned the other direction, toward the wall. “They’re going to die,” Erik thought as he listened to the quiet murmuring. No one was an expert in this situation but the wall was protected by large automated machine guns. No feelings and no ability to distinguish between infected and not. Erik’s way was not much better but there was a glimmer of hope he could manage his way around the obstacles ahead of him. After three hundred feet Erik turned and looked at the group that followed. Kali stood at his side. Steve and Kali’s mother Andrea followed behind her The two brothers and the Haitian were in front of a gaggle of men chattering to each other. Erik stopped at the first car he saw and opened the door. A rotten odor shot from the car and burned the noses of anyone near. The partially skeletal remains of the driver sat upon the seat as Erik reached over it to open the center console.

“What the hell you looking for?” Shouted Andrew as he approached. “Any weapons will be gone by now.”

“I know,” Erik replied. “But there may be something in here.”

The gaggle of men walked past the others. Some stared other didn’t care. They tried to distance themselves as quickly as possible.

The windows of the car were covered in dust and grime. Erik wiped off the window with his hand leaving a rainbow of darkness behind the window. He cupped his hands and placed his face on the window. He could barely see anything within the car. Clothes lay on the passenger seat. A shirt possibly a jacket. He could see that this car was a manual, with its shifter standing proudly in the center of the car. Erik began to open the driver’s door when Kali and her family walked up behind him. “You shouldn’t do that,” Steve as he watched. “If your so worried then why are you watching,” Erik snapped

Erik found a pair of keys and tried to start the car but it did not even turn over. “Are you an idiot, man.” Andrew added. “The batteries are going to be dead in all these cars.”

“You don’t know that,” replied Erik.

“Yeah, I do.” Andrew then dismissed Erik with the wave of his hand. Stall air escaped into the late afternoon sunlight as the door opened.

“What are you looking for,” said Steven. “

Anything useful,” Erik and rummaged through the jacket on the floor. It contained a wallet which Erik promptly checked for money. It contained a twenty, some change and an ID. “Matthew Summers, 25 years old,” Erik read then tossed the wallet after taking the twenty dollar bill. Behind the front seat was a bench seat with more clothes. Erik pulled the clothes to the side. Under the clothes sat a small body, mostly decomposed. Part of its little face hung from a plaid shirt that had covered it. Erik jumped backward and smacked the back of his head on the rear-view mirror and windshield.

“What the hell!” shouted Steven as he fell backward. Erik held the back of his head and slowly stepped from the car. Blood covered his hands. Andrea, Kali’s mother quickly gave Erik a cloth to stop the bleeding.

“That was kinda stupid, you know,” said Steven as he stood slowly. “You know your kind of annoying, right,” Erik snapped. One of the men, ahead of Andrew fell. An infected mechanic, dressed in a stained pair of overalls, tackled the man and held his throat to the ground. The man struggled to breath as the infected mechanic ripped the clothes open and grabbed a handful of the skin from the man’s large belly. The infected mechanic then pulled and tore the skin and fat from the belly and began to eat at the meat underneath it. The other men scattered as other infected began to appear. Another man screamed as a young infected woman caught him within her arms and fell together into the tall grass. Two men ran forward along Michigan avenue as others split up and tried to out-maneuver the infected within the grass. Erik stood near the car, he had been search, watching. He watched as the men split up. Some disappeared into the grass suddenly and others made it to the safety of an abandoned car. The men that made it upon the cars shouted down into the grass. The infected, stood within the grass groping at the cars.

“We have to find some where to hide,” shouted Steve from just behind Erik. “Where are we going to hide!”

There were seven left in the group. Lead by Sean and Andrew the group began forward. Erik struggled to ignore the screams of the men out in the grass. The sicking guttural pleads mixed with drowning moans as they get eaten. The red, oxygen rich blood staining the green grass as they passed over. The infected seemed occupied by the meals they captured allowing the group walk around them. One of the men, standing upon a faded yellow Volkswagen, pointed at the group as they moved past. “Get them, you sick bastards! They are getting away.. damn it.” The man stomped upon the roof of the car causing it to cave slightly. It was enough to knock him from the car. Erik and the others walked for less then a mile when they stopped to look at an abandoned fast food restaurant. BurgerLand stood tilted to the right within a large asphalt patch. The tall grass grew up in small fits around the parking lot but the building looked secure. The large picture windows were boarded up and dusk was settling in.

The sunlight burned. Erik opened his eyes to see the sun staring back at him. A scream to his right rattled him. Several feet rumble past as he got a hold of his bearings. Erik stands. Beneath his feet are wooden planks nailed to the frame of a wagon. A large red tractor moves through the field in front of him and toward a large gate. A second red tractor followed. The driver struggles to shove back a beast of a man standing upon the small steel steps along-side him. The man was pale and blind but held a rage only seen in psychotics in movies. A sharp blow sent the psychotic man backward. He disappeared underneath the large rear tire. Erik watched as other psychotics followed the tractor. The psychotics were infected by a neurological infection nicknamed feral hunger syndrome. The infection drove straight to the brain and rearranged the neural circuit of it’s victims. It blinded them. Drove them mad then produced insatiable desire to eat.

The gate opened. Two rows of Blackadder troops stepped into the gate and began to fire into the grass around the gate. Several rounds bounced off the incoming tractors but the drivers drove forward without flinching. Other rounds buzzed over the Erik’s head forcing him and the others to fall upon their faces. Once the tractors escaped the walled compound the Blackadder troops stopped firing and disappeared outside the gate. Within the walls Erik stared into the tall grass around him. The infected began to stack behind each other as the easy victims fell from the sides of the wagons. Erik looked down and and to the right and found an infected woman tearing at the small muscles in another woman’s neck. He was instantly overwhelmed by the feeling of being trapped and fell backward. “Hey, a-hole.” An older man shouted as Erik tried to pick himself up. The older man, Steven sat next to a ten year-old girl named Kali and her mother. Erik apologized and rested upon the wooden wall near the back of the wagon.

“A… O… over there in the other wagon.” Erik turned to see a group of men standing at the edge of the other wagon. “Push down the wall on the wagon.” Shouted a 30 years old black man named Sean. Erik noticed it was very loose and the other wagon was fairly close. The Kali screamed and pulled her leg from the grip of an older infected woman. Erik swung a booted foot at the head of the infected woman and knocked her away from the wagon. She was quickly replaced by a young infected man. Other infected began to climb the wagon. Several other men rushed at the infected. They wrestled with the monsters forcing them to tumble off the wagon. Unfortunately, several of the men fell along with them. Behind Erik others shook the wooden wall. Terrified Steven tried to prevent the men from pushing it over only to receive a rough shove backward. Erik caught him and watched as the wooden wall fall downward. The wall landed upon the second wagon and the men ran from one wagon to the other. A taller infected man stood near the center and grabbed an ankle causing one of the men to fall. Other infected forcibly pulled him through the holes in the wall. Everyone else rushed forward, some making it and others falling to their death. Upon the wagon other infected stood upon the wooden planks and approached Erik and Kali. Erik grumbled, grabbed the girl, and walked across the bridge. Steven shouted but the noise from the shouting and the grunts from the infected muted any interpretation. The boards, under their feet, groaned and bowed as the infected pulled upon them. Within moments they had crossed safely and Kali collapsed into her mother’s arms.

“What now?” Erik shouted. Sean, his brother Andrew and other tall, very dark, man beaconed them to the back of the second wagon. The plan was to push over the second wagon wall and run as fast as hell. Erik didn’t hesitate and helped the survivors push over the wall.

The wall fell hard trapping several infected underneath it. The survivors ran quickly, careful not to fall. They then disappeared into the tall grass.

The gas pump clicks. Erik pulls the nozzle from the truck and instructs Ambrosia to move ahead. Siren and the van move ahead and the large guard steps from the van. Erik enters the station with cash in hand. The station owner stands at the door and rips the money from his hand. Erik immediately shoves the older man into the station. “That was unnecessary,” Erik stated as he stands over the man. The guard that drove the van steps into the station. “What’s going on here?”

Erik places a hand upon the guards chest. “We are fine.” Erik then helps stand the man up. “We are here to get some gas and a few supplies. We will then be on our way. We mean you no more harm then I have already shown you.”

The station owner pulls his hand from Erik and stomps toward the counter. “Oh no you don’t!” Erik warned as he grabbed him. Both men wrestled as the station owner tried to grab his shotgun. The guard tried to help but got in the way and was hit by a wayward elbow. Erik shoved the station owner to the ground. He grabbed the shotgun and gave it to the guard. “Watch him.”

Erik then gathered supplies from the store. They didn’t need much. Ransom and the wall was only a couple hours away. Once he completed the shopping Erik threw money at the station owner and left. The guard followed, walking backward.

Outside the station, all three women stood outside the back of the truck. They watched as the wings of a large vampire wrestled with the air.

“What the hell is this!”

Upon the bed of the truck was a human man. Upon his back were large leather wings that shivered as it dined on the spider woman. “Get the damn thing off our prize!” Erik shouted. He then pulled at one of the large wings.

The vampire growled, turned and shouted at the group. Vampires had stretched muscular jaws to fit the enlarged teeth. They tore at the victims they wanted to kill and drank from the ones they wanted to turn. This creature was abysmally ugly and unlike it’s ugly cousins. It’s face had been completely drained of blood and the skin and muscle hung upon his face. His jaw fell and rose several times as it glared at Erik with dead, pale eyes.

The vampire then returned to the spider woman, grabbed her within its long thin arms and leapt into the air. The group was stunned into silence as they watched the vampire struggle to stay air-born. The station owner interrupted the silence. “What the hell is that?”

Erik was at a loss. He just watched the beast push itself into the air. “Wait,” he finally said. “Get the hell into the trunk. It’s taking our frick’n spider.” Within moments Erik was crushed between two hybrid woman as they drove quickly after the vampire.

The wagon jerked as the tractor pulled forward. Erik, Sean Dean and Steve Summers fell from the wagon. The infected horde stepped forward as all three men struggled to stand. Erik looked up and watched as an infected, middle-aged woman stood over Steve Summers. Her eyes were pale and hollow. The skin on her face torn and hung under her right ear. Steve screamed as the woman fell to her knees and began to pull at anything that may tear easily. Steve had fallen on his chest and struggled to turn over as the infected woman tore open his thin shirt. The infected woman grabbed and pulled at the overweight man’s waist. Steve screamed as his skin stretched. His daughter, Kali, screamed as she watched from the wagon. Erik stood and shoved the infected woman backward. She fell into the tall grass but was quickly replaced by two other infected…

The chains and iron shackles clanged loudly as the BlackAdder guards helped a middle-aged man from a non-descript white van. The chains were wrapped around his waist and then followed up his back to a leather strap around his neck. Erik Lynn Moore did not resist the harsh treatment. He had been dreading this day for five years.

“Put him next to the others!” Shouted an overweight man dressed in black. Upon his shoulders was a pair of red straps that identified him as Sergeant of the Guard.

One of the guards pulled on his chain causing him to stumble. Erik and the two other guards walked to a line of other prisoners. They stood in front of a long, double walled fence. Wrapped throughout the fence was razor wire. The guards placed Erik between an older white man and a pair of young black men. Next to the older white man was an eleven-year old girl. Erik attempted to resist. The sight of a young child just chilled him. The guards clubbed his legs with night sticks causing him to fall to his knees. The chain connected to his neck pulled back causing him to moan as his muscles strained.

The other prisoners stepped to the side as the guards lifted Erik and placed him within the line. A third guard stood behind the line of prisoners and connected Erik to the others via a long chain.

The guards turned and stepped away. “I don’t know why they couldn’t just put you inside the walls by your damn self. The only thing keeping me from kicking your ass is this chain.” The old man whispered.

Erik heard the words but stared forward.

“Erik, the Butcher,” taunted the black man to his right. “Murderer of how many people now, one hundred thousand? You’re lucky my brother and I didn’t find you. You won’t be standing here in those chains. I’ll tell you that.”

Erik continued to stare forward. He watched the BlackAdder guards’ mill around in front of the prisoners. The Sergeant stood with others around a camouflaged truck. Twenty prisoners stood outside the walls of Ransom Infected Housing and Containment (RIHC). RIHC was designed to contain an infection that ravaged the human population five years ago. Erik was a lead scientist and took the brunt of the blame for the breach when an explosion released the hybrid infection into the air around the city. The containment area was built around the city to stop the infection from bleeding into the adjacent cities.

“Alright, alright…” shouted the Sergeant through a funnel-like megaphone. “We have processed all the prisoners we can now start sending them through the gate.”

The guards immediately stopped milling and created two rows. One guard stood behind another till they formed two rows. The Sergeant stood in front of the formation and gave instructions.

“There are twenty prisoners. In groups of three we take will take five prisoners and walk them to the gate. The gate will open and those three guards will lead the prisoners fifty yards into the containment zone. Once you reach fifty yards you will release the prisoners and walk back. Once the gate is closed the next group of prisoners will be escorted into the containment zone and so on.”

“I need three volunteers.”

The formation of guards collectively mumbled and looked at each other.

“Group attention” shouted the Sergeant. The formation snapped forward. Voices instantly silent and movement stopped. “I will volunteer three of you if I do not get any candidates. Take charge of your future men. Do not allow me to do it.”

Slowly, three men volunteered and the Sergeant separated them from the formation. Three more volunteered and stood behind the first three. This continued till there were seven groups of three guards.

Sean Baker fidgeted as he stood next to his brother.

“Sean stop,” older brother Andrew finally said after being bumped for the last time. “You are going to get us killed before we have any chance to get out of this.”

“Are you kidding? Do you think we are going to get out of this?”

“Listen, Sean… we have been in worse situations, right?”

Sean stood silent.

“Up north three days ago. We were trapped in the basement of that movie theater, remember? You were balling the entire time. The vampire got close and you turned into a pussy.”

“Shut the hell up.”

“No wait. We walked out of that theater. Those blood suck’n bitches didn’t even know we were there.”

“Right but look at this.”

“Sean, brother we got this.” The first set of guards stepped forward. The Sergeant called out the name of five prisoners.

“Harry White, Christopher Kim, Steven Summers, Bernie Platon and Cricket,” the guards collected the first five prisoners. Each prisoner was released from the leather restraints and the chain. They were placed between two guards with the third guard near the back. They began to move forward when Steve Summers panicked.

“Let my daughter go,” shouted the older man as he began to step toward one of the guards. The reaction from the guard was instant. The barrel of the rifle stood inches from his chest. The guard screamed and the old man retreated.

“Hey, hey,” shouted the Sergeant as he ran toward them. “We are not going to shoot the prisoners.” The Sergeant laughed. He then calmly pushed the rifle downward.

“Place Mister Summers with his family. There are a few basic rights left in the territory.” The Sergeant found another name and placed Alice Owens in the first group. He stepped back and allowed them to move toward the gate. The other prisoners watched as the first five stepped forward. The large metal gate opened and the first group stepped into the prison.

The grass on the other side of the steel, razor wire fence was waist high. Three hundred yards from the gate were abandoned cars. The cars sat still in the grass stuck either coming or going. The city of Ransom stood behind the cars. The small high rise buildings hovered over the landscape. The blacked out windows repelled any person within their right mind.

The first group of prisoners moved past the gate and it began to close. The guard in front walked carefully as the other two followed to the rear and side of the five-person group. Small movements within the grass brought on jerky movements as the guards tried to stay alert.

“Alright,” shouted the Sergeant back near the other prisoners, “Kali Summers, Steve Summers, Andrea Summers, Leslie Brown and Nicholas Emmett.” The Summers family stepped forward. Kali, stood at the front as the guards removed the restraints. A clumsy guard dropped a restraint and Leslie Brown bolted past the others. She disappeared behind a truck but was recovered within moments. She walked, with a limp, between two guards. The guards placed her within the group again and threatened to shoot anyone that moved.

The gate opened for the second group as the first set of guards stepped back into the outside world. The second group stepped into the prison the same as the first. The front guard nervously jumping from noise to noise. The first group stood fifty yards from the gate. The first guard slowed. He knew the danger of putting too many prisoners together. The human mob mentality was just as dangerous as the infected. He didn’t want to speak a word, preferring to wave at the other group but they stood, terrified, in the middle of the path.

Finally, the guard shouted. “Move.”

Within moments hands burst from the grass beside them. Other infected began to stand. Screams bellowed from everywhere as Christopher Kim and Leslie Brown were dragged into the tall grass. The guards fired into the infected that stood and then into the ground as they quickly turned and ran back toward the gate. Several of the prisoners followed but stopped after guards fired over their heads. Several infected fell but the prisoners felt there was no returning to the outside world. They ran, spreading in forward directions. All of them heading for the broken city of Ransom.

The chains and iron shackles clanged loudly as the BlackAdder guards helped a middle-aged man from a non-descript white van. The chains were wrapped around his waist and then followed up his back to a leather strap around his neck. Erik Lynn Moore did not resist the harsh treatment. He had been dreading this day for five years.

“Put him next to the others!” Shouted an overweight man dressed in black. Upon his shoulders was a pair of red straps that identified him as Sergeant of the Guard.

One of the guards pulled on his chain causing him to stumble. Erik and the two other guards walked to a line of other prisoners. They stood in front of a long, double walled fence. Wrapped throughout the fence was razor wire. The guards placed Erik between an older white man and a pair of young black men. Next to the older white man was an eleven-year old girl. Erik attempted to resist. The sight of a young child just chilled him. The guards clubbed his legs with night sticks causing him to fall to his knees. The chain connected to his neck pulled back causing him to moan as his muscles strained.

The other prisoners stepped to the side as the guards lifted Erik and placed him within the line. A third guard stood behind the line of prisoners and connected Erik to the others via a long chain.

The guards turned and stepped away. “I don’t know why they couldn’t just put you inside the walls by your damn self. The only thing keeping me from kicking your ass is this chain.” The old man whispered.

Erik heard the words but stared forward.

“Erik, the Butcher,” taunted the black man to his right. “Murderer of how many people now, one hundred thousand? You’re lucky my brother and I didn’t find you. You won’t be standing here in those chains. I’ll tell you that.”

Erik continued to stare forward. He watched the BlackAdder guards’ mill around in front of the prisoners. The Sergeant stood with others around a camouflaged truck. Twenty prisoners stood outside the walls of Ransom Infected Housing and Containment (RIHC). RIHC was designed to contain an infection that ravaged the human population five years ago. Erik was a lead scientist and took the brunt of the blame for the breach when an explosion released the hybrid infection into the air around the city. The containment area was built around the city to stop the infection from bleeding into the adjacent cities.

“Alright, alright…” shouted the Sergeant through a funnel-like megaphone. “We have processed all the prisoners we can now start sending them through the gate.”

The guards immediately stopped milling and created two rows. One guard stood behind another till they formed two rows. The Sergeant stood in front of the formation and gave instructions.

“There are twenty prisoners. In groups of three we take will take five prisoners and walk them to the gate. The gate will open and those three guards will lead the prisoners fifty yards into the containment zone. Once you reach fifty yards you will release the prisoners and walk back. Once the gate is closed the next group of prisoners will be escorted into the containment zone and so on.”

“I need three volunteers.”

The formation of guards collectively mumbled and looked at each other.

“Group attention” shouted the Sergeant. The formation snapped forward. Voices instantly silent and movement stopped. “I will volunteer three of you if I do not get any candidates. Take charge of your future men. Do not allow me to do it.”

Slowly, three men volunteered and the Sergeant separated them from the formation. Three more volunteered and stood behind the first three. This continued till there were seven groups of three guards.

Sean Baker fidgeted as he stood next to his brother.

“Sean stop,” older brother Andrew finally said after being bumped for the last time. “You are going to get us killed before we have any chance to get out of this.”

“Are you kidding? Do you think we are going to get out of this?”

“Listen, Sean… we have been in worse situations, right?”

Sean stood silent.

“Up north three days ago. We were trapped in the basement of that movie theater, remember? You were balling the entire time. The vampire got close and you turned into a pussy.”

“Shut the hell up.”

“No wait. We walked out of that theater. Those blood suck’n bitches didn’t even know we were there.”

“Right but look at this.”

“Sean, brother we got this.” The first set of guards stepped forward. The Sergeant called out the name of five prisoners.

“Harry White, Christopher Kim, Steven Summers, Bernie Platon and Cricket,” the guards collected the first five prisoners. Each prisoner was released from the leather restraints and the chain. They were placed between two guards with the third guard near the back. They began to move forward when Steve Summers panicked.

“Let my daughter go,” shouted the older man as he began to step toward one of the guards. The reaction from the guard was instant. The barrel of the rifle stood inches from his chest. The guard screamed and the old man retreated.

“Hey, hey,” shouted the Sergeant as he ran toward them. “We are not going to shoot the prisoners.” The Sergeant laughed. He then calmly pushed the rifle downward.

“Place Mister Summers with his family. There are a few basic rights left in the territory.” The Sergeant found another name and placed Alice Owens in the first group. He stepped back and allowed them to move toward the gate. The other prisoners watched as the first five stepped forward. The large metal gate opened and the first group disappeared. The prisoners moved forward to fill in the gap.

“Alright,” shouted the Sergeant, “Kali Summers, Steve Summers, Andrea Summers, Leslie Brown and Nicholas Emmett.” The Summers family stepped forward. Kali, stood at the front as the guards removed the restraints. The guards removed the restraints from Steve and then Andrea. Leslie Brown struggled from the start. She bolted past the guards and ducked behind a BlackAdder truck. The other guards quickly surrounded the Summers family and Nicholas Emmett.

“Get her,” shouted the Sergeant. “There has to be a better way to do this. Damn it.”

A pair of BlackAdder guards carefully marched to the edge of the truck. Leslie Brown ran from the trunk and was shot. She fell and disappeared. The remaining prisoners collectively gasp as the guards shouted. The guards pushed. The shoved the prisoners.

“Stop, stop…” shouted the Sergeant. He quickly approached an officer that was covered in blood. A prisoner fell to his knees. His face was bloody and his nose broken.

“Back the hell off!” The Sergeant shouted and he shoved the guard backward. The guard fell.

“Move them all out. Now!”

“Erik Moore,” Erik leaned against the stone wall behind him. His long hair was matted in places. His face was dirty. “You were always a loser.” The guard spat as he passed.

“Sean and Andrew Baker,” The guard paused between the two men. They stared forward, lips sealed tightly. “The outlaw Baker brothers. Is it true they caught you up at a movie theater in Williams? They also said it was a nest for vampire and you two are not one of them. Just as well you guys getting your due now.”

Sean, the younger spoke first. “You will not keep us in here either, dirtbags.”

The guard looked at the thin black man and his brother. Andrew stood still but nervous as Sean began to speak again. “I will come back to kill you all.” The guard punched Sean in the gut forcing him to cough. “You will be dead long before you escape.” The guard moved to the next man in line. The man stood taller than the others. His skin was dark against the stones of the city walls.

“Jean Paul Jeaneton. My god, you are dark. We rarely see any foreigners around here anymore.”

Jean Paul took in a breath. He had a large chest and arms thick as concrete.

“I am not a foreigner.” Jean Paul said but his thick accent said otherwise. Jean Paul spoke English tinted with the particular scheme of omitting some letters and stressing the second vowel in the word.

“How did you get up here? Immigration has been banned for years.”

Jean Paul leaned toward the guard. He moved forward slightly and spoke loudly,” I’ve been here longer then you.”

“Wow, you crowd are bitter bunch.” The guard moved on to the next in line. “Anthony Greene…”

Another guard, overweight and sweating under the late morning sun, walked up to the group. He dismissed the first guard and paced in front of the group. “How many?”

“We have twenty-two, Sergeant” Another BlackAdder guard shouted.

“We have a big catch here. You have all been charged with crimes against the Northwest Territory. A family of thieves…” The overweight guard stood in front of Kali and her family. “…Murder, conspiracy against the leadership and just being a bum.” The BlackAdder sergeant stood in front of Erik and shoved him into the stone wall behind him. “I’m so tired of looking at your pathetic ass sitting under the Anderson Avenue Bridge. All you do is drink and sleep. It’s a pleasure passing you on to the infected.”

Erik spit at the Sergeant. “You are a piece of crap, Sergeant. I have never done anything to you. What is this crap you have on me? You’ve never liked me.”

The sergeant shoved Erik into the stone wall behind him. Erik, restrained at the wrist, took several blows till two other guards pulled the overweight man back. The sergeant stood, composed himself and said. “Do we have their belongings?”

“Yes, sir,” replied a guard searching though a backpack upon the bed of a truck.

Kali Summers whispered something to her father Steve which caused him to fidget. Steve stared at the guard rifling through the backpack and worked up some courage. “Hey, hey, you have to let us go. Let us go!”

Steve ran forward toward the truck. Each prisoner, tied together with a long continuous chain, followed. Leather straps held their arms behind their backs. Steve ran forward pulling the other prisoners with him.

“What the hell,” shouted the sergeant as he rushed back toward the prisoners? Erik stepped forward and slammed his head into the man. The sergeant fell to the ground hard. Someone hit Erik from behind forcing him to his knees. Soon Steve and several others fell next to him. Erik stood first then Steve. Both men were weak, their knees wobbly.

“Get them back in line. Start moving them into the gates.”

The guards shoved the prisoners toward the metal gate. Other guards opened the gate.

Erik shivered in the fall chill as the van door opened. Two guards, dressed in black, grabbed Erik by the shoulders and shoved him forward. Erik stumbled. His feet tied together with a short chain clanged as Erik stepped forward. The chain from his ankles rose up his back and wrapped around his waist. 

Erik stepped forward and waited as another guard lead him to a row of prisoners. 

“Put him next to the others.”

An overweight man dressed in black shouted. Upon the man’s shoulders was a pair of red straps that identified him as Sergeant of the Guard.

Erik and the two other guards walked to a line of other prisoners. They stood in front of a long, double walled fence. Wrapped throughout the fence was razor wire. The guards placed Erik between an older white man and a pair of young black men. Next to the older white man was an eleven-year old girl. Erik attempted to resist. The sight of a young child just chilled him. The guards clubbed his legs with night sticks causing him to fall to his knees. The chain connected to his neck pulled back causing him to moan as his muscles strained.

The other prisoners stepped to the side as the guards lifted Erik and placed him within the line. A third guard stood behind the line of prisoners and connected Erik to the others via a long chain. The guards turned and stepped away. 

“I don’t know why they couldn’t just put you inside the walls by your damn self. The only thing keeping me from kicking your ass is this chain.” The old man whispered.

Erik heard the words but stared forward.

“Erik, the Butcher,” taunted the black man to his right. “Murderer of how many people now, one hundred thousand? You’re lucky my brother and I didn’t find you. You won’t be standing here in those chains. I’ll tell you that.”

Erik stirred. “I didn’t do anything,” he said after several moments. 

“I didn’t do anything!!” Erik repeated loudly. The BlackAdder guards ignored him and milled around in front of the prisoners. The Sergeant stood with others around a camouflaged truck. Twenty prisoners stood outside the walls of Ransom Infected Housing and Containment (RIHC). The walls of the containment center contained an infection that ravaged the human population five years ago. Erik was a lead scientist and took the brunt of the blame for the breach when an explosion released the hybrid infection into the air around the city. The containment area was built around the city of Ransom to stop the infection from bleeding into the adjacent cities.

“Alright, alright,” shouted the Sergeant through a funnel-like megaphone. “We have processed all the prisoners we can now start sending them through the gate.”

The guards stopped milling and created two rows. One guard stood behind another till they formed two rows. The Sergeant stood in front of the formation and gave instructions.

“There are twenty prisoners. In groups of three we take will take five prisoners and walk them to the gate. The gate will open and those three guards will lead the prisoners fifty yards into the containment zone…” 

From above everyone’s head a barrage of bullets fired at once. The guards all ducked followed by the prisoners. 

“Who, the hell, fired the auto guns? Can we have some discipline here,” The Sergeant stood and shouted at a covered tent area near the large front gate. 

“Erikson, kick their asses,” The Sergeant ordered the guard next to him and pointed toward the tent. The large guard ran toward the tent. The prisoners stood and Erik looked out toward the city. The fence was steel and chain-linked. It had two rows, one before the other. Along the second row were large steel pillars. Above the pillars sat the black auto-guns. The auto-guns fired a second time. The bullets raced into the field within the gates. Seconds before they fell, Erik saw the infected. The pitiful cocoon’s of the hybrid Meningitis bacterial infection. 

“It was supposed to be a cure,” Erik thought to himself. “This should have never happened.” 

Erik then watched as the bullets struck the infected and they fell. The auto-guns were not accurate and a couple began to stand back up. An argument broke out from within the tent near the gate. A loud crash and then Erikson exited the tent.

“Alright,” The Sergeant began again. “This isn’t that hard men! I need three volunteers.”

The formation of guards mumbled and looked at each other. Erik grew up in Ransom and so did most of these men. The unease of capital punishment had disappeared after years of fighting but it was now unspoken as were many other moral values.

“Group attention” shouted the Sergeant. The formation snapped forward. Voices silent and all movement stopped. “I will volunteer three of you if I do not get any candidates. Take charge of your future men. Do not allow me to do it.”

Three men volunteered and the Sergeant separated them from the formation. Three more volunteered and stood behind the first three. This continued till there were seven groups of three guards.

Sean Baker jerked the leather restrains that bound his hands behind him. The guards stared at him. 

“Sean stop,” Sean’s older brother Andrew finally said after the guards began to step forward. “You are going to get us killed before we have any chance to get out of this.”

“Are you kidding?” Sean growled. “Do you think we are going to get out of this?”

“Listen, we have been in worse situations, right?”

Sean stood silent.

“Up north three days ago, when we were trapped in the basement of that movie theater, remember? You were balling the entire time.”

“There were vampires in that church, Andrew. What the hell else was I supposed to do?”

“You are a hunter, Sean. The vampire got close and you turned into a pussy.”

“Shut the hell up.”

“No wait, Sean. Listen. We walked out of that theater. Those blood suck’n bitches didn’t even know we were there. Brother we got this.”

The first set of guards stepped forward. The Sergeant called out the name of five prisoners.

“Harry White, Christopher Kim, Steven Summers, Bernie Platon and Christopher Rickket.”

Harry White stepped forward. The guard released Harry White from the leather restraints and the chain. They placed him within a circle of three guards. Christopher Kim was next and allowed the guards to release him. He was then placed next to Harry White. The old white man standing next to Erik stepped back when the guards approached. 

“Steve Summers, step forward.” 

 “Let my daughter go,” shouted the older man. 

“I can’t do that,” replied the guard as he reached for the older man. Steve Summers stepped back again and caused Erik to fall backward into the fence. He fell hard along with several other prisoners. The guard stepped forward and grabbed Steve Summers. 

“Wait…Wait,” shouted the Sergeant as he grabbed the guard by the shoulders. 

“Place Steve Summers with his family. There are a few basic rights left in the territory.” The Sergeant found another name and placed Alice Owens in the first group. Bernie Platon and Christopher Rickket stepped forward without issue. The first five stepped forward, followed by the guards. The large metal gate opened and the first group stepped into the prison.

The grass on the other side of the steel, razor wire fence was waist high. Three hundred yards from the gate sat several abandoned cars. The cars sat still in the grass stuck either coming or going. The city of Ransom stood behind the cars. The small high rise buildings hovered over the landscape. The blacked out windows repelled any person within their right mind.

The first group of prisoners moved past the gate and it began to close. The guard in front walked as the other two followed to the rear and side of the five-person group. Small movements within the grass brought on jerky movements as the guards tried to stay alert.

“Kali Summers, Steve Summers, Andrea Summers, Leslie Brown and Nicholas Emmett,” shouted the Sergeant. The Summers family stepped forward. Kali, stood at the front as the guards removed the restraints. A clumsy guard dropped a restraint and Leslie Brown bolted past the others. She disappeared behind a truck. Two guards captured her within moment and returned her back to the group.

The gate opened for the second group as the first set of guards stepped back into the outside world. The second group stepped into the prison the same as the first. The original group of five stood fifty yards from the gate. The first guard slowed. He knew the danger of putting too many prisoners together. The human mob mentality was just as dangerous as the infected. He didn’t want to speak a word, preferring to wave at the other group but they stood, terrified, in the middle of the path.

Finally, the guard shouted. “Move”

Within moments hands burst from the grass beside them. Other infected began to stand. Screams bellowed from everywhere as Christopher Kim and Leslie Brown were dragged into the tall grass. The guards fired into the infected that stood and then into the ground as they turned and ran back toward the gate. Several of the prisoners followed but stopped after guards fired over their heads. The second group spreading out and then joined the first group toward the broken city of Ransom.

“I don’t want to go in there,” shouted Sean Baker as he stood behind Erik. Sean shouted till a guard approached. The guard wasted no time and struck Sean with the butt of his rifle. Sean coughed and moaned. 

“Let’s just get this done!” Erik heard the sergeant shout. The guards unbound the remaining prisoners. They surrounded the group of ten and pushed them forward. The gate opened and the guards fired into the grass. The others in the first group had disappeared. Erik, Sean and Andrew stood in the middle of the group trying to stay on their feet as the guards pushed them hard through the gate.

The guards in front stepped to the side and the group stepped through the gate. Within moments the infected appeared within the tall grass. The guards pushed the small crowd forward as the infected stepped closer. The prisoners near the front of the group began to panic and peeled from the makeshift circle and ran toward the gate. The guards shouted as they approached. They rushed to close the gate. Several prisoners screamed as the exit closed. The rest of the group stood within a hungry horde of infected.

A monstrous flying creature pushed through the sky. He was more bird-like than the rest of the vampire clan in the area. He still had attractive human features in his face, although his jaw was elongated to make room for the larger canine teeth. His chest and arms were human but the rest barely resembled anything human. His legs were thin and covered in hair. Large wings hung over him as he flew over the steel structures that were home. Gabriel used his legs and feet as a rudder to steer him through the air.

The area around Ransom belonged to Gabriel and his merry band of vampire.

“Most of the others are idiots,” he thought as he watched a group feasting upon the zombies below. The zombies had become a delicacy for the vampire, even replacing the human prey at times, but at a price. The oxygenated blood and…

Erik stared out the charcoal colored windows. He watched as the two zombies fought as shadows in front of the falling sun. One of the zombies stuck the window hard and Erik leapt into the passenger seat. He expected to see a busted window but the zombie only managed to clear a section of the window with his face. The other zombie held it against the glass. Pulled back and smashed it again. Erik watched as the zombie blinked then its face disappeared from the window. Erik waited barely 30 seconds and then crawled forward to the driver’s seat and looked through the window. Erik opened the door inches when the edge of the door was grabbed and pulled hard. Erik grabbed the leather bridge that stood over the door handle and pulled the door back toward him. A zombie growled near enough to his face to make him hesitate and the door flung open wider. Erik screamed as the zombie let go of the door and leapt at him. Erik disappeared into the small car. With skills, unknown to him, Erik squeezed his large frame over the front seats and into the back seat. A rancid liquid sat below the gory ribs of a body. Erik wretched when he looked down and stood up within the small rounded car. The zombie appeared at the door of the Volkswagen. It’s face peeled from the bone. Erik suddenly remembered they could not see and stood like a statue. He pushed his back into the roof. The rancid liquid within the seat ran over his shoes. Erik stared at what was left of the body below him and recalled the sight of his child on the ground, helpless as Erik stood staring out the window of his house. His wife screaming but it was too late for Susan. She had already died.

The scene played in his head several times. The zombie clawed at Erik with worn fingers. The bone bursting from the tips of the fingers. Erik avoided the fingers and stayed quiet.

Erik’s knees burned and he felt his feet slipping from the edge of the seat. The zombie took another swipe then stepped from the driver’s side door. Erik waiting for several minutes then shook the liquid from his shoes. He stepped into the front seat and carefully looked out into the area around the Volkswagen. The sky had become dark. The zombie lumbered forward toward where the others had been. Erik stood behind the door. He looked behind him and saw nothing. He looked forward to see a group of zombies bumbling past the cars.

Erik shook his shoes off and left then outside. Erik then carefully closed the driver’s door and locked it. He then took his shirt and covered his face. It barely removed the stench but Erik fell asleep very quickly.

The zombies marched forward as the prisoners ran. Erik could see an opening as a zombie marched forward and turned toward the group. He pointed and headed for the opening. The zombies seemed to noticed the opening and began to close up the gap. Erik escaped, without any issue but the hungry arms and hands of the infected slapped at Andrew and Jean. Sean, trailing near the back pushed his way through the group but was swept from his feet. He fell hard upon the ground. Needles pressed hard into Sean’s back and he grunted. An ugly, bruised face stood over him. The eyes painted white and the nose flattened against its face. Sean noticed the zombie’s teeth were perfectly sculpted canines just before he was pulled from under the group. Andrew and Jean pulled Sean by the ankles into the ditch that they stood within. Erik lay in a crumpled mess near them. He held his ankle, twisted from the fall into the ditch.

“What the hell, Sean.” Andrew prodded with a smile. “Screw you, ass,” replied Sean as he stood.

“What are we going to do with Erik, the Butcher?” Sean asked. Erik held his ankle and rocked back and forth. “I say we leave him to be eaten by the creatures he created.”

Erik stopped rocking immediately and struggled to stand. He used the other end of the ditch to help him up.

“Fuck you, I didn’t create this damn situation.” Erik stood on his good leg. “I was just the point person for the whole crappy situation. I was the main scientist and a fuck’n paper pusher. The media made… “

A zombie fell into the ditch behind him. It slid toward Erik forcing him to hop forward. Other zombies followed suit and fell in dramatic fashion into the ditch.

“Move up the ditch,” shouted Jean as he fought off a long limbed zombie that quickly recovered from a head over heels tumble. Sean and Andrew stepped quickly leaving Erik to struggle up the incline. The pain radiated from his ankle, up his right leg, and into his hip. A zombie rolled down the ditch and under Erik’s feet. It quickly grabbed at Erik’s feet and tripped him up. Erik pleaded for help as the others disappeared into the asphalt. He kicked hard, with his right foot connecting with the zombie’s face and screamed in pain. Another zombie walked from the left as Erik tried to walk up the incline backwards.

“Get the hell away from me.”

The zombie below Erik grabbed his right ankle. The pain was immediate and Erik screamed. Erik pulled but it was like having your ankle stuck in a fence. Erik jerked his foot several times. The sharp pain shot up like flames. Erik pulled but the zombie persisted till his ankle snapped and the pain all but disappeared. “Holy crap,” Erik turned and climbed the incline. The pain miniscule. Jean stood above him. The other two black men were nowhere to be seen. Jean offered his hand but Erik refused. “Thanks for the help,” Erik snapped.

Erik stood upon the asphalt of this former city artery. The plant life overwhelmed the metal vehicles and the asphalt beneath his feet. The zombies struggled to stand as others fell into the ditch. The muscles in their legs struggle to combat the fatigue as the heart struggles to pump blood.

“What are we going to do?” Asked Sean.

“You know for a hunter you ask a lot of questions.” Andrew replied as he watched a zombie crawl up the ditch.

“Fuck you, Andrew. Like you know what your fuck’n doing. You got us arrested.”

“Shut up, panty-piss.”

Sean pushed Andrew backward. Andrew stepped forward to push back but Jean stepped between them.

“Hey, hey you two better settle you down. We do not have the time for this.”

Along the ditch many of the zombies had figured out it was easier to crawl upward then stand. The increased effort zapped the energy from the bodies but increased the rage within them. The bodies were starved of blood. The heart, unaware of the condition of the body, pushed as hard as it could. The oxygen-rich blood within the living would recharge any of them. This pushed the zombies forward and toward the four humans arguing.

Sean turned from Andrew and kicked a zombie crawling up behind him. The zombie twisted down the ditch and settled along the bottom. It’s neck twisted to the side, it stopped moving.

“Dude, I killed it.”

“Good job,” Andrew spat. The scream of a young girl caught their attention and they turned in unison toward the noise. The noise was entwined within the road, steel and plant life ahead. Erik left the group and slowly opened up a small yellow Volkswagon. The sweet, pungent smell of death pushed outward into Erik’s nose, causing him to cough. Inside the car Erik found a large black duffel bag. Inside the bag Erik found a baseball bat, a change of clothes that was too small for him and a bottle of whiskey. Erik pulled the bottle from the bag and twisted open the cap. He looked up at the tired sun as it began to fall from the sky and took a large swallow of the warm liquid. It scratched as it fell down Erik’s throat but it electrified him.

“This is heaven,” he thought.

Something fell hard against the back of the Volkswagen and Erik nearly dropped the bottle of whiskey. He noticed the others had left him and stood fifty yards away. The zombies stood waiting for them. Erik turned. A large zombie stood unsteady behind him. The creature was overweight and a gash leaked blood from his right side. The zombie screamed and fell forward.

Erik screamed and jumped out of the way. A second zombie stood waiting for him and wrapped two broken arms around his chest. The right arm was broken just above the elbow. The skin and muscular tissue darkened and was ripe with infection. The left arm bore black necrosis scars and the skin was tough and leather like.

Erik leaned forward. Took an awkward drink from the bottle of whiskey. He dropped the bottle onto the concrete. The bottle fell, tipped and began to spill.

Erik shouted and struggled. He pushed at the arms of the zombie but they held him tightly. The necrosis seemed to make this fight more disgusting and not any easier to Erik. Erik felt the hot breath of the zombie behind him. Then the pin-like scraping of teeth on the back of his neck. Erik threw his head back but it only met the hard bone of the zombie. The pain only struck Erik. The fat zombie approached as Erik struggled.

“Stay away from me you fat piece of rotten meat.” Erk said as he sunk downward. The zombie lost its grip but then regained it high up Erik’s chest. Erik could smell the infection. He could see the pustules and the gore around the arms. Erik went back to the unusual strength of the zombie just before a rush of adrenaline struck his body.

Erik thrust his left shoulder forward and bent down. The zombie followed suit, leaving the ground beneath it. The zombie was taller than Erik. The attempt was futile till the overweight zombie grabbed at Erik’s head. Erik avoided the grab then stepped forward and pushed the zombie, on his back into the overweight zombie. The overweight zombie fell backward and instinctively grabbed a hold of something. He caught the worn shirt of the zombie then the shoulder. The momentum pulled the zombie from Erik’s back as he sank to his knees then belly. The gangly legs of the zombie attempted to stand but Erik’s body beneath him prevented it from standing up. Erik slid from the bottom of the pile and stood up. He stared at the mass in front of him. The black, leathery skin and gore wrestling to stand up but failing to realize the other zombie was trying to do the same thing. Erik turned to run but noticed other zombies approaching quickly.

With the door of the Volkswagen still open Erik leap into the driver’s seat and locked all the doors. He sat across the two seats to avoid the windows but that quickly began uncomfortable.

Erik shivered in the fall chill as the van door opened. Two guards grabbed Erik by the shoulders and shoved him forward. The chain between his ankles caused him to stumble forward. The guards caught a chain that ran from his ankles to his waist and pulled backward. The weight of Erik’s overweight body pulled him toward the ground. The guards struggled to pull him back up. A third guard stepped in front of Erik and shoved him backward.

“Dumb -ass mad scientist.” Shouted one of the guards from behind him.

“They call him Erik the Butcher,” Said another guard as they shoved Erik into a row of prisoners.

“Tie him to the others,” shouted a sergeant. The sergeant wore pair of red straps over his right shoulder that identified him as Sergeant of a mercenary group called BlackAdder.

The BlackAdder guards attached a small metal loop to Erik’s chains then connected that loop to a long chain that ran behind twenty prisoners. The prisoners stood in a single line in front of a long, double walled fence. Wrapped throughout the fence was razor wire. The razor wire didn’t stop the infected, within the walls of the prison. The looped nature of the razor wire created a buffer zone that made any attempt to rush the fence impossible. The large semi-automated machine guns above the fence did prevent the infected from approaching the fence. When prisoners were being added to the containment center the guns were activated by a computer within a long tent near the gate.

The BlackAdder guards placed Erik between an older white man and a pair of young black men. Next to the older white man was an eleven-year old girl. Erik grumbled to himself. The sight of the young lady was chilling. The country, struck down by a mysterious, cannibalistic infection, imploded then broke apart. The Northeast Territory was carved out around the city of Ransom. The city, once a bustling metropolis, was now a broken skeleton of blackened office buildings and tall grass.

“I don’t know why they couldn’t just put you inside the walls by your damn self. The only thing keeping me from kicking your ass is this chain,” whispered the old man standing on his left.

“At least I didn’t allow my daughter to be arrested,” snapped Erik.

The old man turned and lunged at Erik. Everyone behind the old man gasps and struggled to stay on their feet. Erik stepped back into the black men to his right only to be pushed forward. Erik tripped and fell hitting the ground hard. The old man fell over him. The BlackAdder guards rushed forward and untangled the two men.

Erik heard the words but stared forward.

“I didn’t do anything!!” Erik repeated as the guards stood him up.

“Shut up butcher of children,” the old man shouted. Several guards stood between them. The sergeant stepped from behind a camouflaged truck and approached the prisoners.

“Alright, alright, Erik Moore is the last of the prisoners,” shouted the sergeant through a funnel-like megaphone. “We have processed all the prisoners we can now start sending them through the gate.”

The sergeant then created two rows of BlackAdder guards. One guard stood behind another till they formed two rows. The sergeant stood in front of the formation and gave instructions.

“There are twenty prisoners. In groups of three we will take five prisoners and walk them to the gate. The gate will open and those three guards will lead the prisoners fifty yards into the containment zone…”

From above everyone’s head a barrage of bullets fired at once. The guards all ducked followed by the prisoners.

“Who, the hell, fired the auto guns? Can we have some discipline here,” The sergeant stood and shouted at a covered tent area near the large front gate.

“Erikson, kick their asses,” order the sergeant. The guard next to him ran toward the tent. The prisoners stood and Erik looked out toward the city. The auto guns stood upon large steel pillars. Above the pillars sat the black auto-guns. The auto-guns fired a second time. The bullets raced into the tall grass within the fence. Several infected fell backward and cheers erupted from the large tent. Erik considered the infected. He pondered the facts and thought to himself.

“It was supposed to be a cure. This should have never happened. No foretelling symptoms. No indication that something was wrong. It was like someone planted the first infected patient within the facility.”

Erik watched as a couple of infected stood back up. “This is not possible,” he thought. “What about the loss of blood and the destruction of the organs?” An argument broke out from within the tent near the gate. Erik continued to watch as the infected couple walked forward. A loud crash interrupted Erik’s view and he turned to see Erikson exit the tent.

““Group attention” shouted the Sergeant. The formation snapped forward. Voices silent and all movement stopped. “I will volunteer the first three of you if I do not get any candidates. Take charge of your future men. Do not allow me to do it.”

The formation of guards mumbled and looked at each other. Alright,” The sergeant began. “This isn’t that hard men! I need three volunteers.”

Three men volunteered and the sergeant separated them from the formation. Three more volunteered and stood behind the first three. This continued till there were seven groups of three guards.

Sean Baker jerked the leather restrains that bound his hands behind him. The guards stared at him.

“Sean stop,” Sean’s older brother Andrew finally said after the guards began to step forward. “You are going to get us killed before we have any chance to get out of this.”

“Are you kidding?” Sean growled. “Do you think we are going to get out of this?”

“Listen, we have been in worse situations, right?”

Sean stood silent.

“Up north three days ago, when we were trapped in the basement of that movie theater, remember? You were balling the entire time.”

“There were vampires in that church, Andrew. What the hell else was I supposed to do?”

“You are a hunter, Sean. The vampire got close and you turned into a pussy.”

“Shut the hell up.”

“No wait, Sean. Listen. We walked out of that theater. Those blood suck’n bitches didn’t even know we were there. Brother we got this.”

The sergeant called out the name of five prisoners.

“Harry White, Christopher Kim, Steven Summers, Bernie Platon and Christopher Rickket.”

Harry White stepped forward. The guard released Harry White from the restraints and the chain. They placed him within a circle of three guards. Christopher Kim was next and allowed the guards to release him. He was then placed next to Harry White. The old white man standing next to Erik stepped back when the guards approached.

“Steve Summers, step forward.”

“Let my daughter go,” shouted the older man.

“I can’t do that,” replied the guard as he reached for the older man. Steve Summers stepped back again. The guard stepped forward and grabbed Steve Summers.

“Wait…Wait,” shouted the sergeant as he grabbed the guard by the shoulders.

“Place Steve Summers with his family. There are a few basic rights left in the territory.” The sergeant found another name and placed Alice Owens in the first group. Bernie Platon and Christopher Rickket stepped forward without issue. The first five stepped forward, followed by the guards. The large metal gate opened and the first group stepped into the prison.

The grass on the other side of the steel, razor wire fence was waist high. Three hundred yards from the gate sat several abandoned cars. The cars sat still in the grass stuck either coming or going. The city of Ransom stood behind the cars. The small high rise buildings hovered over the landscape.

The first group of prisoners moved past the gate and it began to close. The guard in front walked as the other two followed to the rear and side of the five-person group. Small movements within the grass brought on jerky movements as the guards tried to stay alert.

“Kali Summers, Steve Summers, Andrea Summers, Leslie Brown and Nicholas Emmett,” shouted the sergeant. The Summers family stepped forward. Kali, stood at the front as the guards removed the restraints. A clumsy guard dropped a restraint and Leslie Brown bolted past the others. She disappeared behind a truck. Two BlackAdder guards captured her within moment and returned her back to the group.

The gate opened for the second group as the first set of guards stepped back into the outside world. The second group stepped into the prison the same as the first. The original group of five stood fifty yards from the gate. The first guard slowed. He knew the danger of putting too many prisoners together. The human mob mentality was just as dangerous as the infected. He didn’t want to speak a word, preferring to wave at the other group but they stood, terrified, in the middle of the path.

Finally, the guard shouted. “Move”

The first group moved slowly. The infected stood waiting in small groups. Christopher Kim fell and disappeared within the grass. He screamed followed and fought. The graas rustled till it stopped. The four others in the first group ran forward and tried to avoid the waiting infected. Screams bellowed from within the field of grass and from the other prisoners. Erickson sprinted for the tent and within moments the auto guns fired into the grass.

“I don’t want to go in there,” shouted Sean Baker. The BlackAdder guards restrained Sean with a blow from butt of his rifle. His brother Andrew protested fiercely.

“Let’s just get this done!” Erik heard the sergeant shout. The guards unbound the remaining prisoners. They surrounded the group of ten and pushed them forward. The gate opened and the guards fired into the grass. The others in the first group had disappeared. Erik, Sean and Andrew stood in the middle of the group trying to stay on their feet as the guards pushed them hard through the gate.

The screams were deafening as the infected began to approach the group. Nicolas Emmet, a large, muscular man, shot toward the slowly closing gate. He grabbed the gate and attempted to stop it. Several BlackAdder guards grabbed the gate and attempted to pull it close.

“Let me out!” shouted Nicolas. Leslie Brown,limping from the fight with the guards joined Nicolas and pulled the gate. The gate opened wider as the guards shouted and threaten to fire into the prisoners. Realizing that he shoot within the line of fire Erik turned and ran toward the field of abandoned cars. The Summers family followed him joined by the Baker brothers and a tall, dark skinned man that someone referred to as the Haitian.

Erik stopped. He took in a deep breath and cursed at his worn out forty year old body. The rest of the group stopped several feet ahead of him. Gun fired erupted from the gate and everyone fell to the ground. After several seconds it was quiet, except for the crunching of the dry grass around him.

Erik sat up and listened as the crunching multiplied and the tall grass moved from all sides. Fear shook him but he stayed put. He listened as the infected approached. He could hear two coming from the left and three headed toward him from the right. He but his head on his knees and waited.

“What are you doing?” 

Erik looked up and found his wife staring down at him. She was taken weeks after the infected escaped from County Hospital, where he worked. She would often visit him dressed in a long white dress tied around the waist with a blue ribbon and a bow.

“What are you doing?” She repeated.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Erik said. “I can’t hide. I can’t run. I can’t live without you and Sara anymore.”

“I call bullshit on that, Erik. It’s been five years and you decide this now! Don’t be a dick.” 

“A dick? Don’t be a dick? Is that all you have to say?” Erik looked up. His wife was as beautiful as she was in life all those years ago. Her dark brown hair framed the soft pale skin of her face. Her brown eyes sparkled as she smiled.

“Your not giving up, Erik. I will not let you.” 

“What are you going to do, bug me to death?”

A torn dress shoe stepped from grass on Erik’s left. This shoe was followed by several others and then they were upon him. Grabbing for anything that would lead to Erik falling toward one or the other side. The infected tore Erik’s t-shirt. The collar strangled Erik till it finally broke away. As much as he wanted to just sit still his hands and feet fought off the hungry, rotting faces that bent down to tear him apart. A small boy grabbed a hold of his ankle and dug his long nails into Erik’s skin. Erik cried out in pain and kicked hard. The boy fell backward into the tall grass and Erik turned over. Stood on his knees the fought to stand. A bloody hand met the side of his face and Erik stumbled backward. He fell hard to the ground then stood.

“Fuck you!” Erik shouted. He counted five plus the young boy all hungry and grunting as they walked toward him. “The infection disabled any sort of human emotion”, he thought. “The Bacterial Meningtis caused confusion, fever and headaches. It can’t be the reason for this hunger and ability to live after death.” Erik’s analitical mind took over. “Acute Ocular Melanoma,” Erik noticed the thick white film over the eyes of the infected. He also noticed that the infected reached and often confused the other infected for the living only to recoil when they got too close. “They are blind and their sense of smell is minimal.”

Erik stood up. He looked forward toward the broken city of Ransom and ran forward into a pair of infected. He pushed them into each other causing them to fall into each other then escaped. Within ten feet Erik ran into the tall dark-skinned man.

“Hi, my name is Cary. Some people call me the Haitian but I prefer Cary. I didn’t think you were going to make that. Were you waiting for them to attack you?”

“Nice to meet you Cary. You seem to be a very smart man. Let’s stop talking and find some place safe to stay.”

Eric sank his right foot down. The Mustang rumbled loudly as it rode over the abandoned streets leading to Ransom, city center. The grass, mowed down in four inch strips, lead to the cracked asphalt of Michigan Avenue. 

Michigan Avenue was littered with cars. Most were pushed out of the way by heavy machinery used to combat the Hunger years ago. Erik drove through the chaos. He watched the Hungry human monsters lumber toward him. He finished a can of warm beer and tossed from the window. He watched as it struck a sleepy, Hunger infected, teenager. The creature looked at Erik, growled, then tripped and fell over a chunk of concrete. Erik laughed… hit the brakes and slid into another infected woman. Within moments, two more appeared and pounded on the back of the Mustang. 

“Hey, get off my car, jerks.” Erik hit the gas and turned the wheel. The woman slid from the hood leaving a dent in the hood. 

“Look what you did!” He shouted as three more began to walk toward the car. “You wrecked my car!” 

Erik stopped the car and searched the back seat. Tucked into a corner on the floor was a shotgun. Erik stretched as an older man approached the open driver’s window. 

“Come on, now,” Erik said to himself. 

He stretched till he felt the sharp, knife-like fingers of the Hunger-stricken man. 

“Get the hell away from me,” Erik snapped as he sank his hands into the man’s skull. The brain material underneath was warm and soft. Erik fought the urge to throw up. He tightened his fist and yanked. The old, Hunger-stricken man fell then disappeared beside the car. 

“My god, that’s gross,” he said as he tried to wipe the gore from his hands. He then reached back and grabbed the barrel of the shotgun. Several other infected approached but were stunted by the old man lying on the ground. Erik fired once. The blast knocked both to the ground. The infected jerked the steering wheel to the left and swept another infected man off it’s feet. 

Erik opened another can of warm beer. Pulled off the road and headed for a long, abandoned storefront. 

“Willies!” He shouted. He punched the gas. He flung the Mustang around in the tall grass making donuts then straightened the wheel and raced to the broken parking lot of the shopping center.

Willie’s was in the center. A pharmacy was on the right and a grocery store was on the left. Erik was never hurt so he didn’t need the pharmacy and he ate anything he could along the way. 

“It was a part of living in this hell hole,” he thought. Willie’s was a liquor store and Erik was short on supply. Erik parked the Mustang near the front door of an abandoned store and turned off the engine. He climbed over the driver’s seat and opened the passenger door. A lock held the doors of the store tight. Erik reached into the Mustang and retrieved a key. He unlocked the chains and opened the door. 

“The crappy food, the crappy service. It was the worse store I’d ever been too but they still have, top shelf liquor,” Erik said as he stepped into the store. Dust covered everything from the shelves to the leftover merchandise, to the floor. He stepped over a broken chair and around a metal shelf that had fallen over. “It had been so long since anything moved in this place.” He thought and followed a familiar trail of footprints. 

“I found this a week ago,” he told the empty store. “You saved all the liquor for me?” 

He walked to the right and found an aisle full of canned foods. Erik found a can of beans and a can of fruit then headed toward the Service Desk.

“Now I need a damn can opener,” he thought as he approached the shelves of liquor. Erik picked up a dusty bottle of whiskey and turned. A noise, inturupted his thoughts. 

“Hello?” He said and it echoed through the large empty room. “Willie, is that you?” 

Erik jumped as several meaty hands slapped the large picture window in the front of the store. Erik set the cans of food down and stared at the infected. His heart clawed at his throat. A pair of young adults slapped and scratched at the think, slime-covered glass. “Glass doesn’t seem to last long around here,” he thought and searched for something to put in front of the window.