Zombie Dawn (28 page)

We started fires with a bunch of emergency flares that we’d brought.  All we did was fire up the flares and throw them into a building under something flammable.  We’d do the same with cars that had zombies in them.  It was hard work and seemed never to end.  I wondered if humans could ever regain control of a real city.

Chapter Thirty Six:  The Eagle’s Nest

We had our eye on an eight story apartment building that was right next to the highway.  It was the highest building around and would give the best vantage point up and down the highway.  We entered the building and cleared the lobby of a few frozen zombies.  We used electric saws to cut off the heads, then threw the heads outside.  It was gross, but we had to do it; the heads were frozen solid.

We slowly worked our way up each floor, opening the door with sledgehammers and chopping up any zombies we found.  The heads went down the stairs.  We found quite a few vacant apartments and noted the ones that had supplies and furniture that we could use. We left those doors open and nailed the rest shut.  This building had been left alone, pretty much, and looked like we could make it into a good listening post.

We finally made it to the top floor where there was a huge penthouse apartment with picture windows facing in all directions.  Stan had brought a drill bit that could cut glass, and drilled firing holes through each window.  Kate taped them up with duct tape to keep the breeze out.  It was cold in there but at least we were out of the wind.

Stan set up the generator and the radio and it worked perfectly.  Kate and I brought up an M107 and two M4s with launchers.  We had 10 gallons of gas for the generator; we would operate it just to run the radio so it would last at least a week.  We also brought up three of the anti-tank rockets and put them up on the roof covered with a tarp.  We decided to add one of Mike’s M-19s and a mortar next time we came.

By the time we had the place set up we were totally exhausted and it was the end of the day.  We called Cleve and Tito’s teams in and stayed in the apartment that night.  Mike called it the Eagle’s Nest and, once again, the name stuck.

The next day, we sent Cleve and Tito out to route zombie traffic right up the highway approaching the apartment building.  They blocked the exit ramps with cars and cleaned up the highway to give us a good firing line that extended at least a mile out.  Cleve barricaded the base of our building with crushed cars.  We had a way in and out, but we didn’t think the zombies could find it or that they could get through en masse.

For the rest of our time in Burlington we continued barricading and burning.  When the time was up, Kate, Mike and I volunteered to take the first shift in the Eagle’s Nest.  We took a few days off and hung out a lot, playing some board games that we found and listening to the shortwave.  Kate set up a tent inside the apartment, which helped with the cold when we all slept in there. 

All was well at the Farm and at the Bat Cave and everyone made it back okay.  We took turns watching at night but we’d agreed not to shoot yet because we didn’t want to give our location away. There was definitely increased Wolf activity on the streets and we noticed one building in particular, about a half mile away, where most of the activity occurred.

I asked Mike if he thought he could hit the building with one of the rockets.  He willingly agreed to do it, but pointed out that we should maximize the attack.    That morning, we drove around in the Hummer until we found an old oil truck with some oil left in it.  We couldn’t start it, but we were able to push it up against the building.  We opened the valves and took off.

When we returned to the Eagles Nest, we raced to the roof and prepared the rocket shot.  Mike’s first shot was high, and blew right through a couple of windows in the third floor without exploding.  It exploded a few seconds later, but we couldn’t see it.  I let him take another one and he scored a direct hit with a nice explosion, but no real fire.  Lots of Wolves boiled out of the basement and milled around.  Kate ordered Mike to pick them off with the M107 and told me to come with her.  We hopped in the Hummer and Kate drove us down to about three hundred yards away.  The Wolves headed for us, and I started shooting with the .50 cal.  Kate calmly loaded a phosphorus round into her grenade launcher and fired, and the building blew up when the phosphorus finally ignited all that oil.

Hundreds of Wolves and Brains, many on fire, boiled out of the basement and ran towards us.  Kate backed the Hummer down the street while I hammered away on the .50.  When we got closer to the Eagle’s Nest, Mike started lobbing HE grenades into the pack and blew bunches of them to smithereens. 

We noticed that others were trying to flank us, so we radioed Mike that we were going to draw them off and headed further down the street.  The Wolves followed, but the Brains started sniffing around at the base of the Eagle’s Nest.  We told Mike about it and he agreed to barricade himself in until we got back.

I lobbed grenades at the Brains and nailed a few before they moved off.  They had marked us, though, and that was a real concern.  Kate and I took a long slow ride around Burlington, picking off whatever Wolves we saw, plus a few Brains. 

Clearly, Burlington was loaded.  We decided to burn as much of it as we could, so I started to lob phosphorus grenades into the larger buildings and start some fires.  At least ten percent of the buildings seemed to have Wolves in them.  I knew there had to be some of the higher level zombies around, too.  I wondered what the bigger cities were like.

Kate and I drove around for an hour or so, trying to stay quiet and give the Brains time to move away from the Eagle’s Nest.  When we returned, everything was quiet and we quickly joined Mike upstairs.  He told us that the Brains had hung around for a few minutes then left.  I was deeply concerned about the concentration of zombies in Burlington and their improvements in intelligence and tactics.

Chapter Thirty Seven:  Mike and Kate

That night, Kate was on watch when the apartment was attacked.  They had returned in force.  Kate was exhausted but had insisted that Mike and I rest first.  We simply didn’t expect them to attack us in the Eagle’s Nest, and we weren’t ready for them.

I woke up when I heard Kate scream.  They were coming in the doors, through the walls, even through a ceiling duct.  By the time I became fully conscious, they were all over her, mauling her and dragging her towards the door. She was fighting, clawing, and shooting but there were too many.  There was something different, something new, about them but it didn’t register; I was still half asleep.

Her screams broke my heart. 

I hesitated too long, and more poured into the apartment.  Mike was now awake and began firing.  I did too.  There were too many of them to get, so in desperation we retreated to the roof. 

I couldn’t get to Kate to end her.

Mike and I fought our way to the roof, and when we were totally surrounded we climbed down the side using a couple of ropes that Mike had set up.  We were about thirty feet from the ground when Mike’s rope broke or was cut.  He fell the rest of the way to the ground and hit with a sickening snap and a loud moan.  When he hit, at least a dozen hands grabbed him and tore at him.  He was unconscious or dead.  They quickly dragged him away.

There was nothing I could do for him.  I couldn’t climb up, and I certainly couldn’t get to the ground.  I had my .45 but by the time I thought about ending Mike they had moved him away.  I couldn’t shoot while hanging from a rope anyway.  I had to swing out from the building until I built enough momentum to kick in a window and fall back inside.

Chapter Thirty Eight:  “Rats”

I spent the rest of that night fighting for my life and weeping for my wife and my son.  I was out of ammo and fought using a table lamp and a frying pan.  That’s all there was in there.  I barricaded the doors with furniture and bashed any that got in.   I got at least twenty that I can remember.  I was in a shocked daze.

A few fell past the window from the roof.  Clearly, they were attempting to climb down the rope but didn’t know how.  They were trying to learn.  After awhile, they went away. 

I noticed that the moon was full and the night was not particularly cold, probably above freezing.  My fears seemed to be coming true.  A big attack was coming with the thaw.

Just before light, I crept up to the Eagle’s Nest and checked for supplies and weapons.  There was no sign of Kate or Mike.   The rats had cleared out most of the guns and they’d destroyed the radios.  The thought of a world with armed zombies was very scary.

I found some full magazines for my .45 and some water and moved out just before the sun rose.  I’d just gotten across the street when I heard a noise.  I ducked under a burned out car and waited.  Soon, a few humans arrived at the base of the Eagle’s Nest.  They were clearly alive.

I was astounded when the humans were joined by two Brains, a few Wolves, and a pair of females who were zombies but looked relatively intact.  In fact, as I watched I realized that the females were directing the Brains.  Also, rather than attacking, the humans and the zombies appeared to be communicating.

In my shock and sorrow, it took me several minutes to realize that the zombies appeared to be in charge of the humans.  Without really speaking, the leaders made clear to the humans that they wanted them to go into the building and search it.  The humans were clearly terrified but chose to follow orders rather than fight. 

I decided right then to kill them all, both the ones that were there and any they’d left behind, even as hostages.  A world where humans worked for zombies was simply too dark to endure.  Even if they were enslaved against their will.

After the humans entered the building, the Brains and the females continued to “communicate” somehow.  It almost looked like they were telepathic but they still used gestures and body language.  It was oddly effective.  The two females—Leaders, I decided to call them— seemed to be in charge.  They left after a few minutes, leaving the two Brains behind. 

About twenty minutes later, the humans returned, carrying some of our weapons and supplies.  Clearly, they had been told to find me and the Brains were not happy that they’d returned empty-handy.  The Wolves roughed up the humans but without hurting them, then took the weapons and the group began to walk north up the street. 

I followed from a distance, creeping through the shadows behind them.  I was in a killing frenzy and felt that I had nothing left to live for.  I forgot for a bit about the rest of my family and friends back at the Farm.  I was just waiting to find a group big enough to make my death worthwhile.

Chapter Thirty Nine:  A Chilling Discovery

Their lair was only a few blocks away, in one of the buildings that we hadn’t burned yet.  It was some type of factory or warehouse made of concrete so we hadn’t burned it.  I snuck in behind them and hid behind a crate where I could see and hear what was going on.

It’s hard to explain, but you could tell what the zombies were trying to say.  There was a clear pecking order, with regular zombies at the bottom, then the humans, the Wolves, the Brains, and then the higher ups, the Leaders.  The Leaders deferred to a single female, who deferred to a huge and healthy looking male. He was clearly the alpha of this group, yet even he gave the impression that he was waiting for a superior to arrive.  I was amazed at the development and hierarchy that had developed in such a short time.

I hid behind that stinking crate for two days.  As I laid there in the filth I learned quite a bit about the humans and the zombie hierarchy.  I can’t remember how much I heard, how much I dreamed, and how much I intuited, but it became clear that a huge horde was gathering, that the horde was led by a zombie king and queen who both knew about the Farm, and that they were coming after us.

The humans (“Rats”) included men, women, and children.  They were protected by the Brains and the Leaders, since the Wolves and the garden-variety zombies would rip them apart.  They were simply too afraid to run or fight so they chose to collaborate.  The zombies realized that the humans could help them find other humans, and use weapons, and generally make life miserable for survivors.  I never felt the slightest pity for the rats but decided irrevocably to kill all of them when I had the chance.  The fuckers went out each night to free zombies from buildings and cars to build the horde.

In those two days, I cycled through every emotion I’d ever had and even some new ones.  Despair.  Hysteria.  Grief.  Near-hysteria.  Rage.  Silent hysteria.  As time passed, I remembered the Farm and realized that I had to warn them about the coming horde.  I still had a lot to live for—Bobbie and Sean, my brother and my sister, and the rest of the people back at the Farm.  I owed it to them to make it back.

I dreamed one night that Mike and Kate might be alive.  I was afraid to go to that part of my mind so I locked it down.  I decided to get back to the Farm.

But I also owed the rats and their masters something before I left.  I crept out of the building in the middle of the night in a group of rats and zombies and quickly broke away.  I’d noticed a large gas main running through the building, clearly used for some industrial purpose, and I’d opened a couple of valves before I left.  The gas poured out but the place reeked so badly that I didn’t think the humans would notice it.  I waited next to the building for three hours or so.  I had found a stairwell with a broken window and I had a flare in my pack.