The Demented Z (Book 2): Desolation (Book 2) (7 page)

“Look out!”   Eddie
shouted.

Just to the left of Tom was the huge kid rushing his way,
nearly on top of him. Tom tried to spin
his pistol around, but the kid was too close.

Eddie’s pistol roared to life.

A couple rapid booms.

Blood, brains, and bone fragments exploded out of the side
of the kid’s head, splattering the wall in front of Tom.
  The kid thundered to the floor.

Waiting to thank Eddie until later, Tom covered the last few
steps to the open door. Before going in,
he took a quick glance back down the hall and was terrified to see the entire
hallway filled with infected. The
surging mass from one hall was spilling into the main hallway, colliding with
those that followed directly behind Tom and Eddie.

Both men raced through the open doorway.
  Tom turned and slammed the door closed behind
them.

There was a strange smack, like a hand slapping a table, as
the infected from all directions descended on the door.
  Both the door and the frame shook with the beating
from outside.

With no deadbolt, Tom was only able to twist the small lock
on the handle, which seemed almost laughable, but he did it anyway.

Turning with his back to the door, Tom surveyed the room
they were in. It was the high school’s
library, containing row after row of tall bookshelves.
  The wall directly across from Tom was covered
by large windows. Staring back at him
through the glass were hundreds of angry eyes.  
They saw the prey that had eluded them outside and now began banging on
the glass trying to gain entry.

Knowing the large shelves full of books would be either too
heavy or bolted to the floor, Tom instead pointed to a
large wooden desk and said, “Help me grab the desk.”

Eddie stood in place, staring at the long row of
windows. His face was white with fear.

“Eddie, help me out!”  
Tom shouted as he ran over to the large desk.

Using his legs, Tom began shoving the desk over toward the
door. There was an ear piercing screech
as the metal on the bottom of the legs scraped across the tile floor.

This noise seemed to dive deep into Eddie’s brain and pull
him out of the stupor he was in. He
quickly holstered his pistol and ran over to help Tom.

After getting the desk up against the door, Eddie said,
“That’s not going to stop them. What are
we going to do?   I can’t die like
this. Why the hell did we come
here?”   He kept rambling on.

The sound of cracking glass caused him to stop his rant and
turn toward the windows. Several of the
windows were beginning to split. Long
slivers streaked out in multiple directions, splitting the glass into giant pie
slices. Blood covered hands and faces
pressed up to the glass. Their numbers
swelled as others heard them and joined their ranks, swarming the library wall.

Behind Tom the door continued to rattle on its hinges as the
infected pounded into it.

“What are we...”

Eddie was interrupted by the sound of shattering glass.
  Shards of glass crashed to floor as the
nearest window exploded inward, spilling infected into the room.
  They crashed to the floor in a pile of
twisted arms and legs.
Before the mass could rise, more continued to pour through the open
window, growling at Tom and Eddie.

“Run!”   Tom yelled as
he began racing between the aisles of books.  
He had no idea where to go, but knew staying put was certain death.
  Directly in front of him was a wall
containing only a large corkboard with student’s documents pinned to
it.

Eddie shouted from behind him, “They’re coming.”

Reaching the wall, Tom looked both directions and saw a door
along the wall near the windows. Dozens
of eyes stared at him through the cracked glass.
  The window looked about to shattered in.

“This way, hurry.”  
Tom shouted.

Both of them piled through the door and slammed it closed behind
them.

Breathing hard, Tom said, “This seems familiar.
  How many doors can we barricade?”

Eddie did not respond.  
He wanted to throw up. The only
reason he came on this mission was Liz.  
He hoped that acting tough, saving some people, and becoming the hero
would make her notice him. Instead he
was stuck in the worst nightmare he could imagine.

“I can’t do this, let’s get out of here.”
  Eddie said.

Tom stood with his back up against the door.
  He looked over at Eddie.
  “I don’t think that’s an option anymore.”

Eddie started crying.  
He dropped his head and slumped to the floor in front of a long table
lined with computer monitors. “I can’t...I’m
done.”

The door behind Tom shook as infected began pounding on it.

Tom glanced around the room.  
They were in a computer lab that thankfully lacked windows.
  There was a single door at the far end,
likely leading back into one of the hallways.

“Come on, let’s get moving.”  
Tom said while reaching down and grabbing Eddie under the armpit.
  He lifted him back to his feet, looked him in
the eyes, and said, “We’re going to get out of this.”

Eddie’s eyes were watery and swollen.
  Using the back of his arm, he wiped his face
and nodded his head.

Rather than take the time to barricade the door, Tom made
his way between the computer tables toward the far door.
  This door had a large glass window in it,
allowing Tom to get a view of the hall beyond.  
Peering out into the dark hallway, he could see no movement, only an
empty hallway and rows of lockers.

“Looks clear...you ready?”  
Tom said.

Eddie looked anything but ready.
  He nodded his head anyway.

“Look at that.”   Hank
said from the top of the water tower.

“What do you think is going on?”
  Dennis replied.

Both men glassed the school and watched as a section of
infected that surrounded the building began to swarm in agitation.
  There movements were excited.
  They growled angrily and huffed loudly,
attracting more. From the angle that
they watched it was impossible to see what was going on.

“I’m not sure, something sure has them excited.”
  Hank said.

“They’re quite a ways from the kitchen area.”

“I know it...but it’s got to be Tom and Eddie.”

Dennis laid his rifle on its side and looked over at
Hank. “Those sounded like shots
earlier. Think they’re in trouble?”

Hank continued to spy the infected through his scope.
  Suddenly the surrounding horde began
moving. “They’re moving.”
  He said.  
Continuing to watch them, he saw the infected moving toward the building
out of sight. It was like watching a
dammed up river that suddenly broke through, flowing easily.

“That’s bad.”   Dennis
mumbled.

“Agreed.”

The sound of gravel crunching under feet caused both men to
turn and look down the hillside in the direction of the hospital.
  It was Jenny and Austin approaching on foot.

“Oh Yeah!
  You see that.”
  Austin said loudly as they neared the base of
the water tower.

Hank and Dennis watched as Jenny grabbed Austin by the shirt
and quietly reprimanded him for being so loud.  
The two of them stood face to face for quite some time before Jenny let
go of him and they continued toward the tower.  
Quiet thuds of boots on metal along with grunts of exertion could be
heard as the argumentative pair made their way up the tower’s ladder.

After a minute Jenny’s pretty head poked over the edge.
  “We drew off a bunch of them, worked just
like planned.”

“You did your part great...it was afterwards that everything
went bad.”   Hank said.

Before anyone could respond, Austin came climbing over the
top and said, “Where they at?   I thought
those pokes would be out by now.”

“Shut up.”   Jenny
said. She looked back at Hank and
Dennis. “What happened?”

“A few of the infected noticed them making a break for the
school. They started making
noises, calling to the others.   It
went bad real fast.”   Hank said.

Dennis spoke up.  
“Smoke didn’t make it.”

Jenny started to say something, but Austin butted in.
  “Wow, never thought that sneaky punk would
kick it.”

“You’re an ass.”  
Jenny said. The last few weeks
had hardened her to death, but this one still hit hard.
  She had sat and visited with Smoke on a lot
of lonely nights. It was tough to stay
awake on watch in the middle of the night and they often kept each other company.
  Almost in a whisper, she said, “What about
Eddie and the other guy?”

Hank said, “Tom...Eddie and Tom made it to the roof.
  Went in the access door
just like we planned.”   He looked
back over to the school.
“Been inside ever since.”

Dennis added, “We think we heard shots, and then all the
infected grouped up over there.”   He
pointed to the area that was still clustered with infected.
  They still continued to siphon into the
building through an unseen opening. “The
infected are getting in somewhere.”

“How long do we wait before deciding they’re taking an
endless nap?”   Austin said.

  “What’s your
problem?”   Hank said.

“Hey, I’m being realistic.  
They are probably gone already.”

Hank’s face was red with rage and he looked just about to
punch him in the face.

Dennis placed a hand on his shoulder.
  “Take it easy...both of you.”
  He looked over at Jenny.
  “Why don’t you and Austin get back to the
hospital...Hank and I will watch for them.”

Austin started to say something, but Jenny beat him to it
and said, “Good idea. Come on big guy,
let’s check on the others. I bet they
would feel more comfortable with some guns returning.”

After the two of them were down the side of the tower and on
their way back, Hank looked over at Dennis and just shook his head.
  Dennis knew exactly what Hank was thinking
and just shrugged his shoulders.

Hank went back to watching the school through his scope.
  There was still at least a hundred infected
remaining outside the building, most of them staggered around the open lawn, far
from the buildings walls. A cluster of
them were still swarming the far side of the building where they had gained
entrance. There was no way to see
inside, but both men knew there were now hundreds inside and if Tom and Eddie
weren’t already dead, they would be having a very tough time.

******

Just as Tom and Eddie stepped out into the large hallway, a
mass of demented broke the door down that separated the computer lab from the
library. Knowing it would only slow the
rushing horde momentarily, neither of them took the time to close the door to
the hall. Instead they started sprinting
down the hall, unsure where they were going.

Tom tried to picture the building layout in his mind and
where they were at. When they went over
the maps they made the mistake of only paying attention to the path from the
roof access to the cafeteria and kitchen.  
Now that they were outside of this realm, neither of them knew where to
go.

The terrifying sounds of demented spilling into the hall
behind them caused both of them to glance back.  
Dozens of infected had already emerged from the computer lab.
  They looked in both directions down the hall,
trying to locate their prey. Several
noticed Tom and Eddie. They screamed out
in rage and took off in pursuit. A
steady stream of demented continued to flow out into the hall, crashing into
each other and the lockers on the far side.

  There were large
wooden doors dotting both sides of the hall.  
None were open, leaving their contents unknown.
  Out of desperation they could enter one, but
there was no telling if it might be filled with infected.

At the far end of the hall stood a set of metal double
doors, daylight spilling in through their security glass.
  To use these would be calling the mission a
bust, likely dooming any survivors that remained in the school.
  There was some fear of what lay outside the
doors as well. They might end up running
right into a horde of infected.

“We have to get out of here.”
  Tom said.

Eddie said nothing, but continued his sprint for the metal
doors, which was answer enough.

After all this time in the school, it was just now that Tom
noticed the stench. It was a sickening
mixture of feces, body odor, and maybe rotting meat.
  With all the fear he had not noticed it, but
now it hung in the air, clinging to his lungs with each breath.
  The urge to vomit nearly overwhelmed him.

They finally reached the far door.
  So ready for fresh air, Tom no longer worried
about what waited for them on the other side.  
The horror filled noises that emanated from their pursuers only added to
his desire to be outside.

Tom and Eddie each hit the crash bars at full speed sending
the doors flying open. Bright light
smacked them in the face.   Both doors
slammed into the brick walls to the sides.  
Directly in front of them stood several groups of
infected.   As if controlled by a
single brain, they all turned in unison toward Tom and Eddie.

The nearest one, a short man wearing shattered glasses and a
plaid vest, opened his mouth and let out a hollow groan.
  Several others followed suit, shuffling their
way toward the school.

Tom was relieved to see most if not all of the fast moving
demented had made their way to the other side of the building.
 
Or
their directly behind me
, he thought to himself.

Eddie slowed, raised his pistol, and began firing into the
nearest clump of undead. One of the
rounds slammed into Plaid Vest’s jaw, blowing off the lower portion of his
face. The head grotesquely flopped over
to the side and then his body crumpled to the ground.
  Eddie continued to squeeze the trigger while
walking across the overgrown lawn.

Knowing the demented would be pouring out of the building,
Tom looked over to Eddie and shouted, “This way, we have to move!”

Eddie fired off a couple more rounds and then chased after
Tom.

******

“I’ve got movement.”  
Hank said while peering through his rifle scope.

Dennis was standing at the back of the water tower taking a
piss into the trees below. “
Whatcha got?”

“Tom and Eddie!
  They’re out on the far side.”

Quickly zipping up, Dennis raced over to Hank and scooped up
his rifle.

The two of them watched as Eddie began firing into a group
of undead.

Dennis said, “I don’t see any demented.
  Those things are slow, but look how many are
headed their way.”

Hank racked a round and said, “Let’s make it rain.”

The two of them began rapidly firing down on any infected
that got near Tom and Eddie. Initially
Eddie was startled by the shots and slowed, looking around, but he quickly
figured out what was going on and began following Tom again.
  The two men worked their way between pockets
of infected, trying their best to keep some distance.

Hank’s rifle ran dry and he quickly began cycling more
rounds into it. While reloading he
noticed movement at the school doors.

Dennis must have noticed as well, because he suddenly said,
“We’ve got demented...chasing from the school.”

Both men continued to watch the river of demented pouring
out of the opening. It was like water
shooting from a hole in a dam. They just
kept coming, packed so tightly together their thrashing arms and legs were indistinguishable
from one another. After making it out
onto the lawn they began to fan out, but still remained in pursuit of Tom and
Eddie.

“We need a car, they’ll never out run all of those and we
can’t gun ‘em all down.”
  Hank said.

“Few blocks back to the hospital.”

Hank looked back to Tom and Eddie.
  Seeing them nearing the edge of the furthest
undead, he felt comfortable that there was nothing more him and Dennis could do
with their rifles. Watching Tom, Hank
could see that he was steering them toward the forest that lay behind the
school. “Let’s grab a car and see if we
can track them down. We’re done up
here.”

The two of them slung their rifles over their shoulders,
grabbed their loose gear, and began making their way down the ladder.
  By the time they reached the bottom, both of
them were dripping sweat. They were glad
to be down out of the baking sun.

“Giddy up.”   Hank said
as he began jogging down the hill.

The hospital was close and it only took them a few minutes
to cover the short distance. Both men
were winded as they got to the blockade of vehicles.
  Hank began climbing over one of the car hoods
and stopped when he noticed Dennis wasn’t following him.

Hank turned back.  
“What’s up?”

Dennis stood looking up at the top of the hospital.
  “Just odd that there are no
lookouts.   We always keep at least
two up there.”

“Could they be...”

He left it unfinished when he heard Austin’s voice from
behind him. “Hey guys.
  Glad to see you back.
  Where’s Tom?”  
Almost as an afterthought he added, “And Eddie?”

“We need a car!”   Hank
shouted. “Tom and Eddie got out, but
half the town is behind them.”

Austin stood for a bit and then said, “Hurry, get in here
and let’s get some more guns and a set of keys.”

Hank looked back at Dennis, who shrugged his shoulders and
started climbing the car’s hood. “Okay,
but we have to hurry. They were headed
into the trees behind the school.”

In front of them, Austin disappeared back into the front
entrance. Hank and Dennis raced across
the parking lot. Only the sounds of
their feet hitting the pavement broke the stillness of the day.
  It was going to be a hot day.
  Blurry heat waves were already rising off the
blacktop.

Knowing Tom and Eddie needed them badly and likely wondered
where they had gone, they both raced up to the door, flung it opened, and
rushed inside.

Directly in front of them stood several men, rifles raised,
barrels pointed directly their way. Hank
immediately recognized a couple of men.  
At one end stood Austin, no weapon in hand, but standing shoulder to
shoulder with the rifleman.

“Well, well, well. We
haven’t had the pleasure to be introduced, but I believe you know a couple of
my men.”   Lincoln said.