Dead and Forsaken (28 page)

“
Thank you son!” the
Pastor told me. “But once again the only weapons I need are
the words in this Bible! Just like a sword they cut both ways!”

I
respected his choice but he was alone in his opinion. We were about
to go to war not church. It was his mission to save souls but I was
born to kill. There was a gang of undead walking around in the
parking lot. We would need a plan to get past them. So I asked the
group for suggestions.

“
We have about two hours
before it gets dark!” I said. “Does anyone have any
suggestions on how to get past those things?”

“
And what are we going to
do once we get through?” asked Blair. “As soon as we
open the doors they will attack us! There is no way we can outrun or
kill all of them! Even though there are cars everywhere without keys
they might as well be unicorns. ”

“
I use to steal cars when I
was little!” said Carlos. “If y'all can keep those
things off my back I know I can start a car for us! I saw a lot of
them out front!”

“
If Gomez can hot wire a
car then I know how to get through all of those monsters before they
can go night of the living dead on us!” responded Joe.

“
Trust me I can do It!”
shot back Carlos.

“
Oh! You can?” said
Kahleem. “As long as it's not a cheap ass nineteen eighty
eight Honda with a scratchy sound system and ten thousand dollar
rims let’s do it.”

“
Yeah and I'll do the
rest!” said Joe. “When I was younger I took one of my
granny's oxygen tanks then borrowed my pa pa's shotgun! I went out
in the desert to the edge of our property and set up for some target
practice. I sat the tank on top of an old Chevy we used for
shooting. Then I let loose with the shotgun and blew a hole in the
tank. That son of a bitch blew up and totaled the Chevy! I saw a
wheelchair with a tank on the back of the seat in the ER waiting
room. I say we strap a flare to it and blow a path through those
things. Now that's how you kick some zombie ass!”

“
Are you just pulling our
leg?” asked Carlos. “Or are you just that fucking
retarded?”

“
I don't see you coming up
with anything Pedro!” responded Joe.

“
It's Carlos fat ass!”
he shot back. “And that's the dumbest shit I ever heard!”

“
Hold on Carlos!” I
said. “I agree! It's unbelievably stupid and dangerous but it
might work!”

“
How do you know that he
can even hit it?” asked Carlos.

“
You just stand back and
watch the fireworks!” boasted Joe. “Blowing stuff up is
fun and anyone that disagrees is a gun hating liberal!”

“
Trust me I don't have a
problem with guns!” replied Carlos. “Just idiots!”

“
That's enough! Either we
try this now or we just wait for them to find us again.” I
told them.

“
Let’s make our move
and get outside before it’s too late!”

“
Before we go I would like
to say that I know the Lord is with us!” proclaimed the
pastor. “i know that our faith has been tested. Last night I
had to kill a boy that I baptized and watched grow from a little
snot nosed kid into a man. He cried on my shoulder when his dad died
and I took up a collection at my church when he went away to school.
I was supposed to marry him and his fiancee and watch him start a
new chapter in his life. The lord works in mysterious ways but he
will guide us through!”

“
Amen to that!” said
Maria.

We
packed up everything except the flares. Kahleem went back to the OR
to get the wheelchair and Joe rigged up his chair bomb.

“
So we are really doing
this partner?” asked Carlos.

“
I don't think we have any
other option!” I answered. “I don't know how this is
going to turn out but as long as we are alive we have to keep
fighting!”

“
If it's OK.” asked
the pastor. “I would like to say a prayer for God to protect
us?”

“
Why not Padre!” I
responded. “At this point we need all the help we can get!”

When
things fall apart and society goes to hell humans have always clung
to their alcohol, guns and religion. Even if I didn't believe in
divine intervention or destiny something had got us this far!
Someone kept me alive during the war. The pastor said a quick prayer
while we closed our eyes and bowed our heads. Kahleem said his own
prayer close by. Afterword’s we carefully walked single file
back down the hall to the main lobby. I moved quickly as I could to
the corner and peered out into the open space. The horde had moved
on and the lobby was empty. As we approached the glass doors we
didn't see anything moving outside. This was probably a suicide
mission. The forsaken would have us outnumbered a hundred to one.
Maria and the kids stopped just shy of the exit. Through the glass I
could already see the bodies outside. They were left in the spot the
fell exposed to the elements. Some of them had been fed on by the
dead and the few remaining cats and dogs.

“
Is everybody ready?”
I asked.

I
looked around and could see that they all were focused. These poor
people had horrifying experiences that left vivid gut wrenching
images in their mind. Things that they couldn't conjure up in their
worst nightmares. Even in Americas desensitized culture of violence.
In only a few days civilization had crumbled and everyone they knew
died screaming in pain and agony. Our rag tag group was a bunch of
everyday regular people who survived long enough to find each other.
Kahleem held his breath and breathed out deeply trying to quell the
wave of fear and anxiety overtaking him. This was the moment when we
had to put up or shut up. I pushed the door handle open and we all
stepped out.

Outside
the stench of decomposition was noticeable. The fading sun revealed
how gritty we looked. Our clothes and bodies were stained from
sweat, blood and grime. Splatter was caked in our hair and formed
freckles on our skin. Several creatures shambled aimlessly around
the lot in circles. Others just stood in one spot hovering with
their eyes wide open. Evidence of the recent massacre was
everywhere. Survivors tried to evacuate the building but got cut
down. Now we were facing the same group of ghastly monsters. Some of
the victims made it to the parking lot but others never got off the
sidewalk. We followed the bloody trail in front of the building down
the main sidewalk. The bones of more than two dozen corpses littered
the area. Heads torso’s and other body parts cluttered the
ground. We saw the deformed forsaken walking around in the late
afternoon sun. The creatures searched the ground for scraps of meat.
They saw us too and began stumbling toward us. Their undead eyes met
with ours as we scrambled for safety. That's when we heard the
moaning.

“
GROOOWWWL!”

The
sound alerted the others to our presence. I looked over to see a
small group of forsaken converging on us with their mouths open.
Large amounts of filthy drool gathered in the corners. Their tongues
and teeth were blackened from decay. Half of them were still dressed
in scrubs and hospital gowns. The clothes of the forsaken were
covered in grime and dried body fluids. Blood stained layers of
bandages concealed some of their bite wounds.

“
Don't forget to aim for the
head!” I called out.

“
My God there are so many!”
whispered Maria.

“
GRRRRRR!”

“
Just keep moving!”
said Carlos.

“
Don't worry I'm two steps
behind you!” said Blair.

She
held hands with the kids along with Maria so they didn't get
separated. The pack of forsaken creatures fell down as they stumbled
forward. The children were frozen with fear and could not move. I
maneuvered to the left dropping the first two undead and blocking
the path of the others.

“
BANG!
BANG!”

I
sent bullets through their skulls and sprayed blood into the air.

Carlos
took the three on the right. He hit the first one in the knees
before finishing him off by with a shot to the top of his head.

“
BANG!
BANG!”

Joe
followed us pushing his wheelchair bomb with one hand and shorting
with the other.

“
Shoot!” said Joe.
“Shoot them all!”

“
BANG!
BANG!”

“
That's one for me! That’s
two for me!” he said with a smile. “Just like beer cans
on a fence!”

The ejected shell casings clanged
on the concrete. The noise brought more of them out of the
surrounding neighborhood. Maria, the kids, and Blair followed close
behind. Kahleem and the Pastor brought up the rear. We all slowly
moved forward. Joe gave the chair a big push and it rolled to a stop
in the middle of the flesh eating horde. They ignored the chair and
lurched forward.

“
GRRRRRR!”

One
by one the forsaken fell with a pop from our guns and a thud against
the ground.

“
BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG!”

Soon
our nerves got the best of us and our accuracy started to fail. Who
could blame us? We were staring into the eyes of the walking dead.
Some our shots went wide while others hit them in the body.

“
BANG!
BANG!”

“
Don't let them get behind
us!” yelled Carlos.

Kahleem
hacked and chopped any of them still moving.

“
SCHHWAFF!
SCHHWAFF!”

He
cut off their hands, legs and heads. Their bones stuck out in
different shapes and sizes. As another creature approached Kahleem
managed to stab it through the head. He had to push against its chin
just to extract the blade. Soon the razor sharp edge started to get
dull but he kept swinging.

“
THUNK!
THUNK!”

The
first swipe stopped going all the way through the bone. He had to
make a second attempt and bring the machete down in a different
angle or spot.

“
WHACK!
WHACK!”

The
rest of the forsaken flooded towards us like an endless river of
death.

“
GROOOWWWL!”

Carlos,
Joe and I each had to unload half a magazine into the moving mass of
rotting flesh just to slow them down.

“
BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG!”

“
If this lasts any longer
then we are going to have to reload!” said Carlos.

One
of them got through and the children saw it coming.

“
POP!”

Maria
had to pull the trigger as the kids screamed in terror. Her first
shot only grazed its temple and created a laceration. The hungry
beast kept coming. Blair stepped in front of Maria and swung hard
with the golf club striking it in the jaw.

“
SMACK!”

She
knew that those two children and the baby she was carrying would be
the key to helping us rebuild our shattered lives. The crushing blow
caused two teeth fly from its mouth but it still was not dead yet.
Maria concentrated aimed the gun and fired again.

“
POP!”

This
time she shot the beast at close range piercing the gray matter of
its brain.

“
I hit it!” she
screamed. “I got that one! I got it!”

Blood and brains splattered onto
everyone’s pants and shoes. Maria was so disgusted she never
saw two more forsaken approaching from her blindside. Their glossy
eyes were locked in on the children. Latia turned and threw a rock
at them but they still lurched forward. Blair lifted the putter over
her shoulder again and struck the forsaken just behind the ear.

“
SMACK!”

The blow left a long deep gash in
the ghouls head. The pastor used his body to shield the kids from
the others.

“
Get the children to safety!”
he yelled.

He
gave them a chance to escape but his actions caused him to be
separated from the group. He beat the two forsaken away with his
Bible and stabbed at them with his cross. Eventually they
overpowered him. He fought hard but was still bitten several times.

“
CHOMP!
CHOMP!”

He
screamed at the top of his lungs but the attack continued.

“
Eeeyouch!”

The
pastor was in excruciating pain and hemorrhaging from his wounds.
The forsaken horde pulled and tugged on his arms and legs until he
was drenched in blood.

“
GRAAAHHH!”

With
the children out of harm’s way he knew his sacrifice was not
in vain.

“
Aaaahhhh!”

They
dragged him off and killed him while I watched with the others. The
children were distraught as he was devoured by the creatures. They
gnawed off most of his flesh and left him lifeless. In the end he
still held onto the Lord's word. The Bible was clutched in his
severed hand as he was chewed and sliced into mouth size pieces.

“
GNAAAW!
GNAAAW! GNAAAW!”

The
sight of our fallen friend did not stop our determination. Together
we killed as many of the other creatures as we could in a hail of
gunfire and smoke.

“
BANG!
BANG! BANG!”

Afterward we knelt down in front
of the wall for protection. By then we were almost surrounded on all
sides and running out of real estate. It was time for Joe to set off
the bomb. As the large horde lumbered forward the trap was set. He
took aim and pulled the trigger.

“
BANG! BANG!”

Both shots were wide right and
missed the tank. Joe moved away from the wall and closer to the
target to get a better shot.

“
BANG!
BANG!”

After
several more misses he fired his gun again hitting the pressurized
oxygen tank dead center. “BANG!”

The collision with the bullet
caused it to explode.

“
KAABOOM!”

A white cloud of oxygen smoke
rushed out and was ignited by the lit road flare. The sky was filled
with a ball of fire burning on the released oxygen. The wall of
flames spread across the lot. The shock wave knocked the already
unbalanced creatures off their feet. Many of them were engulfed in
flames. They lurched from side to side before collapsing to the
ground. The forsaken were charred and burned beyond recognition.
What was left of the tanks nozzle and cylinder shot out in every
direction. Joe stood there starring at his handy work with a big
smile. Unfortunately a large piece of metal blew backwards towards
him. The force of the flying metal cut his head off. He was careless
and had moved to close. An even larger chunk of metal pierced the
gas tank of a car next to the wheelchair. The car immediately
ignited in fire. The explosion that followed was so big it destroyed
two cars parked next to the first one.

“
KAABOOM!”

All three of them were launched in
the air. Red hot metal shards and shrapnel broke out the front
windows of the hospital. When the rest of us saw the flames coming
toward us we dove back behind the three foot wall. Kahleem moved too
slow and was surrounded by flames. He was badly burned over ninety
percent of his body. Caught out in the open nothing was protecting
him from the explosion. He was knocked unconscious for a second and
woke up screaming.

“
Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!”

While behind the wall a blanket of
flames flew over the heads of the rest of us. We stayed close to the
ground until the flames dispersed. The shock wave caused our ears
to ring but we were unharmed. Dirt, rocks, glass and other debris
rained down on us. I rose back to my feet and saw that not all of
the undead monsters were killed. Some of the forsaken had made it
back up on their feet.

“
GRRRRRR!”

They
moved across the pavement dragging themselves towards Joe’s
body. The remaining army of shambling forsaken was slowly closing in
on the wall.

“
GROOOWWWL!”

The
aroma of Kahleems burning muscles and body fat filed the air. The
singed skin and hair gave off a smell similar to sulfur, metal or
charcoal. I had smelled the same thing during the war. It was the
same scent that lingered in the air after a roadside bombing. The
decomposing bodies of the forsaken gave off their own putrid odor.
Bacteria inside their bodies released a foul smelling methane gas.
It hung in the air and clung to our nostrils. While still on the
ground Kahleem was jumped on by a forsaken man. I was able to catch
a brief glimpse of his attacker’s silhouette. He was dressed
in a ripped up and dirty hospital security uniform.

“
GRRRRRR!”

The
creature mercilessly ripped his chest open and bit a huge chunk out
of his neck and swallowed it.

“
CHOMP!”

Soon
he was bleeding heavily but still squirming around. Kahleem clutched
his throat as his blood flowed turning his hands red. My mouth fell
open as the forsaken version of my boss attacked him. The creature
looked up at me with glazed bulging eyes as a sinister scowl came
over his face. Loose strands of Kahleems flesh were stuck in his
teeth and caked under his bloody fingernails. I had no choice but to
pull the trigger and gun down my friend Lt. Arvayo.

“
See you on the other side!”
I whispered.

“
BANG!”

A ragged star shaped entry wound formed on the side of his head.
The bullet left a larger and messier exit wound on the other side. A
large plume of blood rose into the sky as he slumped to the ground.
There was no time to mourn his death. The sound of the bomb set off
car alarms as it bounced off the buildings. The noise could be
heard from several blocks away. It also brought even more the
forsaken walking out into the deserted streets.

“
GROOOWWWL!”

A countless number of flesh eating
creatures emerged from the side of several houses and entered the
front yards. The organs of the decaying forsaken were exposed and
limbs were missing. The crowd grew larger by the minute.

I calmed Kahleem down and let him
know that he was probably not going to survive. He understood what I
was saying and closed his eye's embracing death as a bullet from my
gun ended his pain.

“
BANG!”

Chunks
of flesh flew into the air. With nowhere to run the only choice for
the rest of us was to fight. Looking around I could see them
creeping closer. Their moans seemed as load as a lions roar.

“
GRRRRRR!”

Now
was not the time to rest or stop. We were a couple of feet and a few
seconds from death.

“
Carlos you need to find a
car and get it started right now!” I yelled.

A
lot of them were still parked in the lot. I picked up Jo’s gun
and grabbed the backpack of supplies. Then I got the girls and two
kids to their feet.