The Darkest Days (Death & Decay Book 0.5) (6 page)

“Olivia, are you still there?”

“Yes! Yes, I’m here.” She answered a little too
quickly.

“What about following Highway Forty? Not
actually on the highway but off the side. Most of what borders the
highway is unused land or residences. There are a few exceptions,
but it should be less populated, which hopefully will mean less of
those things. Your biggest problem will be crossing where Highway
Forty and Seventy meet.”

“I think that would work,” Olivia said slowly.
“It would almost be a straight shot to the farm.”

“Listen, Olivia.” Wyatt stood up abruptly and
walked away from the group. “These…people are dangerous. Really
dangerous. Moving around outside with a small child is…”
suicidal
. He couldn’t say that. What choice did she have?
The deranged were quick and vicious. Moving among them would be a
challenge for an adult that could move quickly and quietly. It
would be nearly impossible with a small child. “Stay under cover.
Stay close to shelter. Stay away from them. Be quick and be quiet.
Be safe.”

“We will. Thank you, all of you, for your help.
I don’t know how I could ever repay you.” There was a pause but
Wyatt sensed that Olivia was not finished. “Listen, Officer Ward,
when you get out of there. You should head to the farm. I don’t
know if it is even safe anymore, but if it is I’m sure that you and
whoever is there with you will be welcome.”

“Thank you.” Wyatt looked around the sally port,
unsure how they would ever find a way to free themselves. “We all
appreciate the invitation.”

“I need to get back to Elli. I’m going to shut
off the radio to conserve its battery,” Olivia concluded quickly.
“Do you mind if I check back in with you later? Maybe around seven
tonight? It would be nice to have someone else to talk to now and
then.”

“Sure.” Wyatt smiled. “It’d be nice to have some
outside contact. I’ll talk to you again later.”

Day 2
5:46 pm

The conversation with Olivia had spurred the
group into action. For the last few hours, ideas had been bouncing
around the walls of the sally port. They all quickly agreed that
they could not wait until they were too weak from dehydration and
hunger to make a move. The squad car that sat in the sally port was
the large SWAT SUV. The back contained a small arsenal, along with
a handful of various items of protective gear. Stephen and Wyatt
had picked through the gear and doled out the weapons amongst the
group.

Shortly thereafter, they had put together a
plan. There wasn’t much to it. The sally port was for the most part
purposefully bare in the event that a suspect got loose. This
unfortunately meant they had access to only a few supplies. Only
one final preparation remained.

Wyatt’s hands trembled as he reached for the
bundle of wires that Miranda extended. She was the only one exempt
from the draw. Everyone in the room had someone who needed them.
Someone they hoped was still alive and fighting. Parents. Children.
Spouses. Miranda was the only one who had someone present who
depended on her. That took precedence over the loved ones the
others hoped to find.

He pulled the wire from her hand and gripped it
tightly. He didn’t have to hold it up to the others to know it was
shorter.

“Well, now that that’s settled.” Wyatt was glad
his voice remained deceptively level. “I guess we should gear up
and get ready.” His legs threatened to turn to jelly as he stood.
The part of the plan that he took on was almost guaranteed to be
suicide.

“Do you mind trading?” he asked Jerry quietly as
he offered him the heavy helmet he had received. A long, thick
baton sat propped up next to the lanky man.

“Not at all.” Jerry hefted the two-foot-long
weapon and handed it to Wyatt. “Keep the helmet. I have a gun I can
use to protect myself. I have no doubt you will need every bit of
help you can get.”

Wyatt’s fingers traced the length of the baton.
“Thank you for the shield.” There was a lot he had to do and very
little time to do it.

With a heavy heart, Wyatt sought out Stephen as
he tinkered with his duty belt. “I have a favor I need to ask
you.”

“What’s up?”

“I know it’s been a while since you’ve visited,
but do you remember how to get to my house?”

Stephen didn’t look up as he nodded. He had been
over a few times in the summer for barbeques or an occasional
backyard bonfire.

“I need you to promise me that after you get out
of here you’ll go check on Sarah and Ben for me.” Wyatt eyes never
left Stephen’s face.

“Why would I need to do that?” He laughed
uneasily. “You’ll see them soon enough.”

“Stephen, you know as well as I do that this is
the best plan we have.” He tried to hold his friend’s gaze. “But
more than likely if I leave this building I will not be myself. I
need to know that someone will make sure Sarah and Ben are alright.
That someone will be there to help them through this. Can you do
that for me?”

Stephen focused more intently on adjusting the
straps of his vest. “I won’t need to.”

“Stephen!” Wyatt shook the man’s shoulder
angrily. “I know today has been hard, but it’s not over. I need you
to hold it together and just promise me this one damn thing. I may
not survive.” His words became a desperate plea. “You may not
survive either. But I need to know that if I don’t, someone will
try to find my family.” Wyatt fought to gain his friend’s eye
contact. “I will fight for every last breath I can, but I can’t do
it without you.”

“Do you feel it?” Stephen’s words were so quiet
Wyatt was almost unsure he had heard anything at all. “The world is
changing.” He turned and looked pointedly at Wyatt. “Things will
never be the same.”

Wyatt swallowed the hard lump that was growing
in his throat. “Maybe not.” After a moment, his voice came back
with all the confidence he could muster. “But we have to fight.
What other choice do we have? It’s fight or die, Stephen. Fight or
die. I’m going to fight. What is your choice?”

For a long while Stephen was silent. Despite the
hush that had fallen between them, Wyatt could almost see the
thoughts as they roiled through Stephen’s mind. As thoughts only he
was privy to finally settled, Stephen nodded to himself.

“Let’s do this.”

Wyatt tried not to let the relief show too
plainly across his face. “Good. Let’s get everyone ready to
go.”

Day 2
7:13 pm

Tension filled every muscle in Wyatt’s body as
he stood by the large sally port bay door. The others had already
climbed into the back of the black-and-white SUV. Any second now,
they would start the car and then it would be up to him to set
everything in motion.

Wyatt sucked in a deep, nervous breath as he
adjusted the pack on his back that contained a few of the scarce
supplies and hoisted the shield up. The car quietly purred to life
and the lights on the back flared on as it was put in reverse.
Before he could think, Wyatt swiped his badge and punched the
four-digit code.

With a squeal, the sally port door lurched into
motion. Howls echoed against the building from the darkness that
seeped under the ascending door. Like apparitions, deformed faces
emerged like ghosts from the shadows. The monsters scurried forward
as they clamored over each other in an attempt to get under the
door.

Before Wyatt could leap towards the vehicle, one
of the deranged reached out and took hold of his ankle. His boot
connected squarely with the creature’s jaw, but the thing only
tightened its grip on him. With one quick movement, he angled his
gun around the shield and dispatched the creature.

The few precious seconds that had been wasted on
the brute had plunged the sally port into anarchy. The monsters
swarmed in like a mass of angry bees. Almost instantly, he was
pushed back into the corner as they set upon him. The only thing
between him and their gnashing teeth was the too-small shield.

Why haven’t they left yet?
Even as he
thought the question, he knew the answer. If the plan had gone off
without a hitch, he would have opened the door and leapt onto the
running boards of the SUV. As soon as they found a safe place, they
would stop so he could get inside and take a seat.

But the plan hadn’t gone perfectly. The monsters
had been too quick, and he had been too slow. Now, instead of
leaving the instant the floor-to-ceiling sally port door was open,
they waited in hopes that he would reach the vehicle.

He would never be able to reach the vehicle. He
was going to die in that corner.

As each second passed, more of them pushed their
way in. If the others didn’t leave soon, the sheer number of bodies
would prevent the car from moving.

With an ear-piercing screech, the vehicle
suddenly lurched into motion as it plowed over the bodies in its
way. To his own surprise, Wyatt released a sigh of relief and the
SUV disappeared out of his field of view. The deranged trailed
after it as they lamented the loss of a meal.

Before Wyatt even realized what he was doing, he
lunged forward and slammed into the creatures with the riot shield.
The handful that had not relented against him sprawled backward.
Instantly, his feet were in motion as he deftly picked his way
through the bodies.

The deranged wailed behind him as he sprinted
through the door and out into the world. More creatures than he
could have imagined stumbled around the parking lot in front of the
station. Determined to leave them behind, he set his sights on the
road and the thick, leafy brush on the other side.

Without warning, the SUV rocked dangerously as
it rounded the corner to the main road. For a moment, it looked as
if Stephen had regained control of the vehicle before it suddenly
careened off the side of the road. Wyatt’s breath caught in his
chest as the front wheels hit the ditch that lined the road. The
top-heavy vehicle rolled and landed upside down.

The shrill wail of the tortured metal only
further agitated the deranged. Wyatt dove into some bushes as the
mass of monster raced towards the commotion.

A barrage of shots rang through the air and
spurred Wyatt into action. He quickly crawled forward, but shock
rooted him to the plant.

The car was completely obscured from view. The
monsters crawled all over it as they sought a way inside.

Wyatt ran forward, weapon in hand. As quickly as
the shots had begun, they ceased. The deranged continued to swarm
atop the overturned vehicle. His footsteps quickly slowed and then
stopped.

There was nothing he could do. His friends
needed him, but he was only one man. One man against dozens of the
deranged.

Day 3
4:25 pm

Sleep had never come. If he was honest with
himself, he had never tried to welcome it. During the few sporadic
moments when he closed his eyes, the horrors of the day paraded
across his eyelids to give him an extra adrenaline boost. Instead,
sleep was replaced with brief breaks to rest his weary legs and,
occasionally, fill his empty stomach with food from his pack.

Rather than dwelling on what had happened, he
had forced himself forward with the thought of returning to Sarah
and Ben. They needed him. He needed them. Only once they were in
his arms would the trepidation that had invaded every fiber of his
being subside.

The short distance to the house had become an
ever more frustrating journey. Several times he had found his path
overrun with the deranged or blocked by destruction. Every second
that he hunted for a new path made him more desperate. After two
grueling days, though, he was almost home.

Wyatt surveyed Keystone Court from behind the
corner of a house. He fiddled nervously with the baton. It hadn’t
taken him long to realize that the bullets wouldn’t last forever
and that he needed to preserve the precious few he had left. There
were signs that the street had been touched by the deranged, but
none of them lingered. Sarah’s van sat in front of the house at the
end of the court.

Despite his exhaustion, every muscle yearned to
move. After one final scan of the street, he leapt forward, unable
to restrain his excitement any longer.

But, as Wyatt ran through the cul-de-sac, his
blood chilled. A darkened and dried stain marred the pale pavement.
Sudden apprehension forced Wyatt to slow his approach.

His breath hitched as his eyes followed the
trail of rust-colored spots. From the stain in the street, they ran
to the sidewalk and trailed up the driveway in front of his house.
The baton slid easily into its loop and he removed his gun from its
holster.

A neighbor.
Wyatt’s thoughts raced as he
made his way up the drive.
That’s a neighbor’s blood. They came
here looking for help.
He tried to convince himself that Sarah
had not opened the door for anyone.

With his gun in one hand, Wyatt dug into his
pocket and pulled out his keys. The dark-brown color of the door
hid more of the gore marks until Wyatt stepped onto the porch. A
dried, rust-colored smear coated the doorknob, and another smudge,
just above it, had been left behind as the door was pushed
open.

Wyatt gnawed on his lip as he slid the key into
the lock and nudged the door open. More of the rusty red blotches
tarnished the ivory entryway tiles.

A large lump that he could not swallow settled
in his throat.

Quietly, he slid through the door and eased it
closed behind him. The house remained eerily silent. His heart
began to thump wildly in his chest as his thoughts plummeted into
turmoil.

The car was outside. Had Sarah been forced to
leave with Ben on foot? Had they been chased out as one of the
deranged forced its way in? Had Sarah unknowingly let it in? His
heart ached at the thought of his family out among the dangers the
city had been plunged into.