Zombie Dawn Exodus (9 page)

Roger thought for a minute about the situation. He
knew that it was very dangerous to risk any resources on a rescue
attempt, but he also knew that the morale of his people was on a
knife edge now.

“Then what did you have in mind?” asked Roger.

“Let me take Kate and Brian. If we don’t return,
don’t come after us, but if we do, be ready with the whiskey,” said
Dave.

“You think you can do this with two men and one
vehicle?” asked Luke.

“I think I can do it in such a way that more men
would provide no extra safety,” said Dave.

“Okay, I don’t like it, but if risking just a little
more can return this community to what it was, so be it, you have
my blessing,” said Roger.

“Okay, Brian, how much fuel we got in Kate?” asked
Dave.

“Half a tank,” said Brian.

“Great, then do whatever you have to do be ready,
I’ll be back here in two minutes. We’ll set off immediately,” said
Dave.

He ran back into the house and up to his equipment
in the room he’d slept in the night before. Just a minute later he
was geared up and ready to go. He grabbed his club hammer, his
close range weapon of choice. In reality he would prefer a larger
two hand weapon, but the fact he spent much of his time in vehicles
and other confined spaces meant they weren’t always practical. He
ran back downstairs and to the hallway of the house, heading for
the door, when he was stopped by Kailey blocking his way. She
looked tearful and scared.

“You don’t have to do this you know,” said
Kailey.

“Yes, I do, I’m sorry, but we’ll make it back,” said
Dave.

“Nothing I can do will make you stay?” asked
Kailey.

“No, just keep the home fires burning and don’t let
spirits drop any further,” said Dave.

Kailey reached forward and kissed him, before moving
aside to let him pass. It was the huge boost in confidence that
Dave needed to go into a zombie infested situation. Never before
had he deliberately headed towards a horde of zombies. There would
be no logical reason to do so under normal circumstances. Dave and
Brian mounted up in the Land Rover and spun it around to again
leave the compound.

“Good luck,” said Roger.

“Thanks, we’ll do what we can,” said Dave.

“Don’t get cocky, you know even the best of us can
only handle a few of these animals at once, they’ll wear you down
and swamp you,” said Luke.

“Thanks. If we aren’t back in three hours, assume we
failed,” said Dave.

The gates were pulled back and Dave drove the
vehicle out of the compound. Normally he sat in the passenger seat
acting as commander and navigator, but this time he wanted full
control of the vehicle.

“So what’s the plan?” asked Brian.

“Firstly, from now on you follow my orders, not
Tommy’s, or either of the other silly fuckers who went on this
stupid arse mission,” said Dave.

“Alright, I’m sorry,” said Brian.

“Sorry? I don’t want you to be sorry, I want you to
stop fucking up, risking the lives of our friends, which you did in
not listening to those of us that know better!” shouted Dave.

“Okay, got ya,” said Brian.

The man looked sheepish, but then he should have. He
was lucky that his fellow survivors hadn’t beaten him for being so
foolish. They only didn’t because each valued the physical
condition of one another too much. Brian now shut up, the best
thing he could do.

“For a start we have no chance of fighting however
many there are there, and I don’t know a way of safely drawing them
away,” said Dave.

“So what do we do?” asked Brian.

“How well do you know the shop layout?” asked
Dave.

“Very well, I used to go there every weekend before
all this shit started,” said Brian.

“Good, then we’re going to ram the fuckers,” said
Dave.

“Sounds good,” said Brian.

“We have enough metal and torque to break through
the numbers that are likely to be in our way. You need to tell me
exactly how we can smash through the outer walls and where the
office is,” said Dave.

“The only way in is through the front door, it’s the
only place without crash barriers up, once you’re in the office is
a straight route to the back of the building,” said Brian.

“Alright, then we use speed and power, nothing else.
You’ll be in the back of the truck ready to open the door, we do
not waste a single second,” said Dave.

“Alright,” said Brian.

“Also, when we get within a mile of the shop, you
radio them and explain the plan,” said Dave.

An hour later they were just a few minutes away from
the supermarket. It had been an anxious journey so far, both men
concerned not just for the three they were trying to rescue, but
also their own lives. The entire mission was a gamble. No sensible
person would ever go near such a crowd of beasts. Brian lifted up
the radio handset.

“Tommy, come in. This is Brian, I repeat, this is
Brian. Can anyone hear me?” he asked.

“This is Tommy, what the fuck is going on?” he
asked.

“The horde struck and I had to leave, but we have a
plan. We’re driving straight to you, be ready to move!” said
Brian.

“What’s your ETA?” asked Tommy.

“One minute, be ready,” said Brian.

“Right, now get in the back and hold onto something.
Make sure you have a weapon close to hand, as it’s going to be a
mad rush getting those three in,” said Dave.

A minute later they were entering the car park of
the supermarket. They drove all the way to the entrance, a handful
of zombies were in the area stumbling towards the building. The
shutters of the building were up and the glass electric doors
prized open. The Land Rover passed through the first entrance and
then smashed through the second, simply too large to fit the door
frame.

Dave could already see the mass of creatures packed
in tight along the aisle that led to the office. He had carefully
manoeuvred the vehicle into the building, but there was no more
time or need for careful and restrained driving. Dave put his foot
to the floor, knowing that torque alone may not be enough to keep
moving through such a mass.

The two tonne vehicle ploughed into the rear of the
zombie crowd, bodies buckling against the thick bull bar. Zombies
were thrown off onto the shelves to the side of the truck. Dave
kept his foot to the floor as the shelves beside them were being
pushed outwards, unable to contain the expanding horde as the Land
Rover forced itself through them. He could finally see the office
door up ahead. The number of creatures was far too many to simply
stop and let their friends in. He swung the vehicle off down the
end of the aisle and slammed the brakes on, sliding to a halt as
they crushed further more zombies.

The gearbox squealed as Dave slammed it into reverse
before they had even come quite to a stop. He put his foot back
down hard on the accelerator and smashed the vehicle backwards into
the security office. The door flew off its hinges and the truck
smashed half the wall down with it. Brian swung the door open
whilst the zombies were already swarming around the vehicle. He
jumped out.

“Get the fuck in!” shouted Brian.

The three men, still in shock from the audacious
rescue attempt stumbled towards the vehicle. Brian noticed the
first creature was already within a dangerous distance. He picked
up his hatchet and drove it into the target’s head. The three men
clambered into the back.

“Go!” shouted Brian.

Dave immediately put the power down, already
concerned that the mass of creatures could stop them from getting
moving again. Fortunately, many of the beasts had approached from
the direction they’d come and were now mostly flooding the side of
the vehicle, rather than the front. Brian jumped in as the wheels
had already begun moving.

The truck smashed through the zombies before it,
breaking bones and sending blood splattering across the bonnet and
windscreen. They stormed down the next aisle which was mostly
clear. Brian looked distraught to see so much in the way of food
supplies being passed by. This place was exactly the cheese in the
trap situation which Roger had always warned them about. They all
now wished that each and every member of the group had heeded his
words.

They reached the end of the aisle and Dave swung the
wheel around, sliding the vehicle round the tight bend. The rear
quarter of the truck smashed into an aisle of tin cans. The impact
was barely noticeable in the vehicle, its sheer weight passing
through the mass of small objects. A few seconds later they had
reached the entrance of the building. They crashed into the tail
end of the horde, and over the crumpled bodies they’d left on
entering.

Finally natural light hit the windscreen as they
broke out into the car park. Reaching daylight and open air was
always a relief in this zombie infested land. Dave slowed the
vehicle to a more cruising speed and set about getting home. For
ten minutes they all sat silently, the rescuers happy to have
survived, the rescued men feeling too guilty to say a word.
Finally, Tommy leant forward into the front cab of the truck.

“Thank you, Dave,” he said.

“Just don’t underestimate what a fuck up this was,
it was sheer luck that everyone got out of there alive,” said
Dave.

“I’m sorry,” said Tommy.

“You bloody well should be, but save it for Roger,
he’ll give you the grilling you deserve. I’m sure,” said Dave.

The survivors again went quiet and remained so for
the rest of the journey. It was a solemn drive, each one of them
reflecting on the near disastrous day that could have been. Dave
was only heartened by the fact that these events may have taught
the men a valuable lesson, and without any cost in lives.

They finally reached the entrance to Everglade, it
was in part a triumphant return, but also depressing. Their victory
had achieved nothing. They had no further supplies, nothing of any
worth. The gates were pulled back and the group in the Land Rover
could already see that the entire population of the facility was
waiting for them, a rare sight. Their fellow survivors were
cheering, seeing that more had returned than had left two hours
earlier. Only one man among them all looked unhappy, Roger. He
stood, arms crossed, fuming.

Dave drew the vehicle to a halt and got out as Brian
opened up the door to let out their passengers. They were welcomed
with much applause and back patting. The entire group was happy,
smiling and laughing, an ecstasy that was unknown to these people
since the Zompoc began.

“Silence!” shouted Roger.

The ecstatic shouts of the crowd calmed and all
turned their attention to Roger. It was a difficult thing for the
survivors to comprehend, that during this time of sheer joy and
relief that they would have to face the seriousness of Roger’s
strict command.

“Dave did a wonderful thing, something I myself
never thought possible and he should be praised for it. But none of
you should underestimate the sheer idiotic actions which led to
these events. The fact that Dave has brought these men back to us
would largely be based on luck, and despite all of his heroic
deeds, they have returned with nothing new.”

The crowd was subdued by the reality check that
Roger had brought upon them. In the horrific year that the men and
women of Everglade had survived, any sign or evidence of hope and
success was welcome, but Roger was now dashing their hopes. Roger
knew that morale was important, but he also knew that an
unrealistic idea of life was now a dangerous characteristic to
hold.

“Let this be a lesson to you all. It’s easy to
pursue the obvious pleasures that may be in front of you, and don’t
any of you think I haven’t thought the same. Everything I have ever
done for this group has been with the right intentions, for us all
to survive in the best way we can. Many things we do in life now
are a risk, but I calculate risk carefully, and since you have been
here, not a single person has died, is that not proof enough of my
capability in leadership?” asked Roger.

The group of survivors murmured and hummed amongst
themselves, none willing to commit to a response with their
eccentric leader. All of them knew that the middle aged and odd
fellow was right, he planned too well not to be, but none wanted to
either question or agree with him.

“All of you. Take stock in the fact that you are all
still alive, safe, fed and warm. By these modern standards, we all
live a life of luxury, and you remember that next time any one of
you has a crazy idea like Tommy’s,” said Roger.

It was enough for the crowd to understand, Roger
full well knew the limitations of the group. Few individuals
understood what was necessary for them all to live safely, but that
was what made his role so vital among these men and women.

“That’s enough now but remember today, it’s an
important lesson, now go about your tasks, ever remembering the
risks that face us,” said Roger.

The group sighed, suddenly saddened by the grim
reality shock that their leader had given them. They dispersed and
went about their daily business. The day went on in its usual
fashion. Life on a day-to-day basis required effort in order to
stay physically and mentally stimulated. Those who went out of
Everglade to forage for supplies had a specific job to do in life,
an adventure of a sort. For the rest of the populace, life revolved
around keeping watch over the facility, preparing food, and keeping
the community clean and healthy.

The night passed on without incident, just as the
community had become accustomed. The following day, Dave arose to
again go out into the zombie world to procure the supplies
necessary for keep them all alive. What he would give for a Burger
King meal could simply not be explained. Roger did what he could to
keep life interesting in Everglade. Sadly, there was no substitute
for going out into a bustling town for an evening of entertainment.
The lack of electricity meant that they could have no TV, the fuel
was considered too valuable, keeping the generators for emergency
usage only.