The Dark Trilogy (18 page)

“
I have no idea, but they’re fucking nuts.” Jeff couldn’t keep the admiration out of his voice.

“
We have to help them,” Megan said, distracted, as she watched the kid on the roof send more of the books piled in his arms sailing into the crowd. He flipped the ghouls off and laughed as he sent another tome smashing into a police officer’s chest.

Megan turned to Jeff and tugged at his shirt sleeve.

She waited until he could tear his eyes away from the boy on the roof before speaking. “I don’t have any clue who they are or why they chose to risk their lives for us, but we can’t leave them here to die.” She shook her head for emphasis. “We just can’t!”

“
I know, I know.” Jeff nodded and smiled gravely. As he gave another quick glance out the windshield at the situation unfolding in front of them, his expression began to change. Megan could see the determined look on his face. There were still a few fiends bashing away at the van, but that was just background noise. Most had wandered off to deal with the man at the water tower or the boy taunting them.

“
I have an idea.”

Chapter 19

The van was doing about forty when it plowed through the fence and smashed into five ghouls attached to it. The man standing behind the chain link dove out of the way as the fence collapsed and wrapped around the front of the van. The infected were pinned to the grill, prisoners of the rusty metal pressing against their bodies. The bar running along the top of the fence popped up and collapsed on the Odyssey. As the van skidded to a halt under the water tower, the five hitchhikers on the hood collapsed to the ground in a tangle.

The newly discovered survivor was already getting back to his feet when Jeff rolled down his window.

“
Get in!”

The cargo door began its gradual process of opening. Megan stood ready behind it with the .357 in hand and saw that the man looked a little dazed and scratched from his dive to the pavement, but otherwise fine.

The crowd of infected seemed slightly off their game from the fierce assault, but were already starting to discover the giant, gaping hole in the fence. Megan waved her furiously at the man as he stumbled and then dove headlong through the doorway, collapsing to the floor.

“
Go! Go! Go!” She yelled as the door began to shut. There were several heavy thuds as Jeff flipped the van in reverse and hit the gas. Their new passenger grabbed hold of the back of a seat and slid his hand up to the arm rest, wrapping his fingers around it tightly as they continued to fly backwards onto the street.

They skidded to a halt in the middle of the road. Jeff gave a quick look back at the man who had risked his life for him and Megan. He had gotten to his knees and was trying to slide into one of the chairs. Tall and muscular, he looked middle aged. His blond hair was going gray at the temples, and there were careworn lines on his face.

“
Sorry about that. I didn’t know how else to get to you.”

The newcomer looked up at Jeff as he plopped into the chair and then looked over at Megan, who tried to give him a reassuring smile. He made an attempt at returning it but looked out of breath.

“
How many of you are over at that church? Is there anyone besides the kid on the roof?” The blond man raised his hand to hold off more questions until he was able to take a deep breath.

“
Just the boy,” he replied. The words were shaky but spoken in a rich baritone.

“
Okay.” Jeff nodded and turned back to the wheel. “I hope he sees us coming.” The new passenger reached forward and gripped the handle on the back of Jeff’s chair tightly.

The van took off like a shot. After doing a one-eighty, sending any bodies that got in the way flying in every direction, they sped toward the church parking lot.

Jeff avoided a large group of infected but bumped several more singles as they sped across the road. The windshield had several hairline cracks in it but had survived the assault on the fence. Pulling into the driveway, he glanced up toward the group of windows from which he had seen the books being flung. The kid was still there, waving frantically at them.

“
I hope he figures out what we’re doing,” Jeff said through gritted teeth.

He drove close to the building, turning the wheel and maneuvering so they were right next to the wall, just below the windows. The roof was flat, so the boy could safely run right over to the van. Jeff adjusted the vehicle until it was flush with the wall. His own door was too close to the building to open, so he jumped from his seat and grabbed his gore-stained bat.

His two passengers watched as Jeff moved to the side door and glanced out the window. He reached for the handle.

“
Excuse me,” he said, and the other man, stunned, got out of his way. The door slid open, and Jeff gripped the bloody weapon in both hands. “Shut the door behind me please.”

Megan watched Jeff jump out as several infected closed on him. She could not swear to it but thought she heard him say “Batter up!” as his feet touched the ground. As stunned as the man they had just saved looked, he reached for the handle to shut the heavy automatic door as requested.

Megan glanced over at him. He cut an impressive figure. She estimated that he would stand a couple of inches over six feet. The fit, athletic passenger stood out as a stark contrast to her emaciated frame.

The confusion on his face looked comical to her. Megan gave him a sympathetic smile.

“
Don’t worry,” she said. “He does this all the time.”

They both turned to watch as the wild-haired crazy man outside the van took aim and sent an infected soldier sailing off to the side, a spray of pus erupting from where the bat made contact with his head.

Jeff yelled, whooping it up as he got into a groove. He twisted around and sent another dark shape stumbling back as he drove the top of the bat through its jaw. He could feel the adrenaline kicking in after being paralyzed with fear just minutes before.

He yelled, “Hey kid! Jump down. Come on, move it!” Jeff didn’t look back as his bat connected with another soldier’s arm, shattering its humerus. He kicked at the chest of a store clerk hissing and drooling at him, sending it toppling to the pavement.

“
Move it, kid! Haul ass!”

Ramming the aluminum bat into the mouth of another rotter, Jeff forced the creature backwards into the next one coming for him. They tumbled over like bowling pins as he backed up toward the van. The survivors were running out of time.

The thud startled him, but when he glanced back, he felt relief. There was a grunt, and the sound of sneakers hitting asphalt as the young boy landed by the van door, anxiously waiting to get inside.

“
Glad you could make it.”

Jeff smiled at the gangly African American kid. He was thin, lanky, and tall for his age. The kid didn’t return the smile but turned toward the van as the door opened. The older man grabbed him, yanking him inside. Jeff surveyed the area: another body closing in but still a few feet away. He backed up quickly, dismissing the idea of getting in one last hit, and followed the boy. As soon as he got in, Megan, who had moved to the driver’s seat, pressed a button next to the steering wheel, and the automatic door began to shut.

“
Let’s go!”

Even before the words had left Jeff’s mouth, Megan had them speeding away as a thick knot of fiends closed in. They moved in reverse as she steered them away from the church until they were facing the street. She flipped gears and floored it.

“
Yeahhhh!” Jeff yelled as he moved to the passenger seat up front. “I can’t believe we made it!” He took several breaths as Megan and the other man began to laugh. At first it was nervous, but then the floodgates opened and they were all clapping and cheering as they flew down the road. Even the stoic-looking boy cracked a grin.

There were handshakes and hugs all around as introductions were made. Megan was patted on the back as she headed up the road and beamed smiles at Jeff and their new friends.

The man’s name was George. The boy was Jason. They had been stuck in the Gallatin United Methodist Church since fleeing the high school across the street several weeks back, when a huge mob of the infected swept through and wiped out the National Guard contingent assigned to protect the refugees. They had been hiding out ever since, living on a diet of juice boxes, crackers, and candy bars that had been stored for the church preschool.

“
You’re the first people we’ve seen since …” George’s eyes grew moist as he looked back at the mob slowly following them. He couldn’t continue, and no one spoke. Jeff and Megan could only imagine the nightmare George and Jason had faced when the shelter had fallen and everyone they knew had succumbed to the virus.

After a couple of minutes, they returned to the intersection with the concertina wire and Jersey barriers stretched across the road. Megan brought the van to an idle, and everyone tried smiling nervously at one another, still unsure of what they should be talking about now that they had escaped the horde.

They looked out over the intersection. Most of the infected were behind them, and it looked clear except for a few stragglers who struggled to move their shattered bodies close to the van but posed no immediate threat.

Megan turned to face the others. “Well?” When they were all looking at her, she continued. “We’re free of that mess, thanks to George and Jason,” she nodded at them, and Jeff leaned back to give them both a hearty slap on the back. Everyone smiled again.

“
So where to now?”

The smiles quickly faded as they all looked back outside. The euphoria of their victory was already dissipating as George and Jason started to realize what had become of the world while they had hidden in the darkened church over the past month.

After a few seconds passed with no suggestions from the newcomers, Jeff piped up. “I’m not sure about you guys, but I vote we stick to the plan Megan and I had. We head out to the country and see if we can find someplace to hole up in and fortify.” When his suggestion didn’t meet with immediate nods of agreement, he added, “There’ll probably be a lot fewer of those things out there.”

Jason turned away, his expression icy as he stared out at the road. Jeff wasn’t sure why the boy seemed upset, but he knew there was always a reason for a kid his age to be moody. That was true even when the world was doing just fine. With the way it was now, Jason had plenty to be pissed about.

“
I need to get to my family. They’re up north, near Wildwood.”

Everyone was suddenly looking at George. Even Jason cocked his head to the side, a confused look on his face. Apparently what George had said was as much a news blast to him as it was to Jeff and Megan.

“
They’re hiding out in our house,” George explained. “They barricaded themselves inside when everything started going to hell in a handbasket. I was stuck in Gallatin on business and got dragged out of my hotel room and then thrown into that damn high school gymnasium.” His eyes glinted with desperation. “I have to get to them.”

When sympathetic looks began to appear on everyone’s faces, George grew frustrated.

“
Look, I spoke to my wife and made sure she understood what to do. I told her how to barricade the house. She knew what was going on. I-”

“
When was the last time you spoke to her?”

Jeff felt embarrassed for interrupting. His voice was gentle, but he could see that his question irritated George.

“
I know what you’re thinking. You know as well as I do I couldn’t have spoken to her in the last month. Cell phones crapped out weeks ago. All I know is that the last time we did talk, she was prepared to sit tight and wait for me, no matter how long it took.” His eyes moved back and forth from Jeff to Megan as his frustration grew. “She can take care of herself. You don’t know her! I KNOW they’re okay. I need to get back to them!”

“
Look, George, we’ve all lost family. It’s hard to accept, I know …” Megan’s voice was filled with empathy as she reached out to touch his hand.

“
LISTEN to me, God dammit! I am not screwing around or suffering from delusions! MY WIFE AND KIDS ARE AT HOME, AND I HAVE TO GET TO THEM RIGHT NOW!”

Jeff’s stomach clenched as George shook with rage. His meaty hands were balled into fists, and the strong, athletic man looked like he was ready to tear someone’s head off.

Megan still had the van in drive and suddenly slammed the gearshift into park. She practically flew out of her seat at George, her jaw tight and her eyes glowing with fury. She was a tiny blur as she slid between the two captain’s chairs, and she was inches from his face before he could react. All Jeff and Jason could do was watch as the petite dagger that was her index finger stabbed at the big man.

“
No, George. YOU listen to ME!”

She was practically on top of him, looming over the man who was literally twice her size.

“
I watched my husband die right in front of me.” Every word was punctuated by a poke of her tiny finger to George’s chest. “We’ve all lost people we love!” Rolling her eyes, she laughed bitterly. “Hell, we’ve all lost EVERYTHING!”

Jeff watched in amazement as George seemed at a loss as to how to deal with this miniscule whirlwind that had slammed on top of him like a ton of bricks.