{"id":208,"date":"2013-07-21T13:12:00","date_gmt":"2013-07-21T13:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/?page_id=208"},"modified":"2013-07-21T13:12:00","modified_gmt":"2013-07-21T13:12:00","slug":"chapter-36","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/story\/chapter-36\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 36"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 36<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure which was more frightening\u2026\u00a0 \u201cReaper\u2019s Sabbath,\u201d as some of us have come to call it, on which I nearly lost Gabby and, for a time, was sure I was going to lose my own life and leave her orphaned\u2026 or the day after.\u00a0 The Day of Unholy Resurrection.\u00a0 The day on which the dead rose, and both my daughter and I found ourselves running for our lives.<\/i><\/p>\n

The first day was scary, but sickness and death are natural.\u00a0 They are a part of life.\u00a0 I was shocked by how quickly the pandemic spread and how effectively it killed, but there are other diseases with the same potential for disaster.<\/i><\/p>\n

The second day was truly horrific.\u00a0 Rising from death, in the physical sense, is completely unnatural\u2026 illogical\u2026 unexplainable.\u00a0 The walking dead\u2026 what satanic power is responsible for such an abomination?\u00a0 I shudder to think.<\/i><\/p>\n

The world is a different place now.\u00a0 Our lives have completely changed.\u00a0 Our knowledge has changed.\u00a0 It seems nothing is out of the realm of possibility now, and that is frightening.\u00a0 The unknown is frightening.\u00a0 What does the future hold?\u00a0 What will become of us?<\/i><\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one comfort I have here, it is that I\u2019m surrounded by decent people.\u00a0 People who look out for each other, who strive to keep us safe.\u00a0 If they\u2019ve taught me anything, it\u2019s this:\u00a0 There are three things in this world that are still the same.\u00a0 The first is the inherent goodness of man.\u00a0 The second is man\u2019s will to survive.\u00a0 And the third is a mother\u2019s instinct\u2026 her instinct to protect her child.<\/i><\/p>\n

That\u2019s natural.\u00a0 And that will never change.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Sunday, April 15, 2012<\/b>
\n7:00 a.m.<\/b><\/p>\n

The sun was just rising over Tampa when Jo awoke to the sounds of shouting and stampeding feet.<\/p>\n

At first, she was alarmed and jumped out of bed, fearing burglars.\u00a0 Then she looked around the stark room and remembered she wasn\u2019t home, but at the air force base.\u00a0 She relaxed for just a moment, but the shouting continued, and as the pounding footsteps raced past her door, she remembered all that had happened the day before and became alarmed again.\u00a0 Trouble on a military base had to be worse than trouble at home, especially considering recent events.<\/p>\n

Jo hesitated in the middle of the room she\u2019d been given in the \u201cTLF,\u201d as the military men called it.\u00a0 Temporary lodging facility, it stood for, and it was essentially a dormitory.\u00a0 She debated over whether or not to open her door and stick her head out into the hall to find out what was going on.\u00a0 On one hand, she was curious, anxious to know.\u00a0 On the other, if the shouting men weren\u2019t the same ones who had put her up here last night, she wasn\u2019t sure she wanted to attract attention to herself and Gabby, who was still asleep in the bed on the other side of the room.<\/p>\n

Colonel Richardson had offered them separate rooms, but Gabby had insisted on sleeping with Jo.\u00a0 That had surprised her, considering her daughter was usually so disconnected, but she supposed it shouldn\u2019t have.\u00a0 She\u2019d felt the same way, anxious to keep Gabby in her sight after their separation the day before.\u00a0 It was this instinct to protect her daughter that made her decision for her.\u00a0 She\u2019d stay put, safe in her room and out of sight, until the sounds of panic stopped.\u00a0 If there was real trouble, she felt sure Colonel Richardson wouldn\u2019t forget them in here.\u00a0 In his relief at seeing two people who were alive and well even without gas masks, he\u2019d bent over backwards to be hospitable to them yesterday.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, she recognized his voice joining the others and remembered he\u2019d said he was staying in a room just down the hall.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be right there if you need anything in the night,\u201d he\u2019d told them kindly, a true gentleman.\u00a0 His presence reassured her, and she moved towards the door.\u00a0 She was just about to reach for the knob when someone on the other side of the door knocked.\u00a0 It was an urgent knock, and it startled her, causing her to jump back.<\/p>\n

\u201cJo?\u00a0 It\u2019s Colonel Richardson; are you awake?\u00a0 Jo?\u201d<\/p>\n

He knocked again, but Jo was already rushing for the doorknob.\u00a0 She opened the door to a gruesome scene in the hallway:\u00a0 Colonel Richardson was standing in front of her door, and behind him were two other men she\u2019d met last night, an officer by the name of Edwards and a young private called Flakeland.\u00a0 They were both spattered with blood and together were cradling the limp body of a third soldier, dressed in torn and bloody military fatigues.<\/p>\n

\u201cRichardson said you\u2019re a nurse?\u201d\u00a0 The captain, Edwards, pelted the question at her and didn\u2019t wait for an answer.\u00a0 \u201cThis woman was attacked; she needs medical attention.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know if there\u2019s anything you can do for her, but\u2026 dear God, you\u2019re all we\u2019ve got.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jo stepped back at once.\u00a0 \u201cBring her in,\u201d she said, and the two soldiers rushed by her with the third.\u00a0 Richardson followed, giving her a brief nod of greeting.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t see much of his face through his gas mask, but his eyes looked grim.<\/p>\n

Edwards and Flakeland lay the wounded soldier on Jo\u2019s bed.\u00a0 As they set her down and backed out of the way, the woman\u2019s head lolled to the side, and Jo gasped.\u00a0 The woman had suffered a massive head wound; the left side of her skull had been cracked wide open, her bloody scalp hanging in sheets.\u00a0 She still wore her gas mask, the kind the strapped on at the back of her head, but flesh had been torn from any part of her face not covered, and it was badly mutilated, a gaping hole where her left ear had been.<\/p>\n

Carefully, with shaking hands, Jo unstrapped the gas mask and removed it.\u00a0 She regretted it instantly.\u00a0 It made it somehow worse, seeing the pretty young girl underneath, who looked like she\u2019d been shoved into a meat grinder and yanked back out again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWas she shot?\u201d Richardson demanded to know, and although his voice was sharp, commanding, Jo could detect the quiver of fear and revulsion in it.\u00a0 It was the same voice she\u2019d heard attending physicians use in the ER when a particularly grisly trauma came in.<\/p>\n

Jo started to shake her head even before one of the other soldiers answered.\u00a0 She\u2019d worked on a number of GSWs to the head, but this looked like no gunshot she\u2019d ever seen.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, sir,\u201d gulped Flakeland.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t even try to control the trembling in his own voice.\u00a0 \u201cShe was bitten.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBitten??\u201d Richardson repeated.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean, bitten?\u00a0 Bitten by what?\u201d<\/p>\n

Wondering the same thing, Jo looked up to see Flakeland and Edwards exchange glances through their gas masks.<\/p>\n

\u201cBitten by what??<\/i>\u201d Richardson repeated, his voice rising.\u00a0 \u201cWhat in God\u2019s name-\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwards cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cIt was a\u2026 a person, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d interjected Flakeland quickly, almost before the colonel or Jo could react.\u00a0 \u201cNot a person\u2026 not anymore.\u00a0 It was a zombie that attacked her!\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a split second of silence, in which this information was digested.\u00a0 Then Richardson roared, \u201cAlright!\u00a0 Enough of this bullcrap.\u00a0 Flakeland, why don\u2019t you take Jo\u2019s daughter out of here \u2013 she shouldn\u2019t see this.\u00a0 Jo, is there-\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, wait!\u201d Jo cried, as the private moved towards the bed where Gabby lay sleeping.\u00a0 \u201cLeave her be.\u00a0 My daughter\u2026 she\u2019s a deep sleeper.\u00a0 If we all just lower our voices and calm down, we may not even wake her.\u201d\u00a0 She took a deep breath.\u00a0 They all did.\u00a0 The room seemed to calm a fraction.<\/p>\n

Jo felt relieved, until she turned her eyes back onto her patient.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s her name?\u201d she asked quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cButler,\u201d Flakeland said, his voice still shaking.\u00a0 He sounded near tears.\u00a0 \u201cPrivate Amy Butler.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jo nodded.\u00a0 Her own throat was threatening to close up, but she swallowed hard to clear it.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m afraid Private Butler is dead,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cThis head wound is a fatal one.\u00a0 There\u2019s\u2026 there\u2019s gray matter all over her skull and in her hair.\u00a0 Brain tissue,\u201d she added, when she caught the flicker of confusion in Flakeland\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 She held his gaze long enough to see comprehension dawn, and then his eyes welled up, and he bowed his head.<\/p>\n

There was a grave silence in the room, as Jo dutifully pressed two fingers to the carotid artery in the young woman\u2019s neck \u2013 the side that had not been ravaged to a pulp.\u00a0 As she\u2019d suspected, there was no pulse.\u00a0 Anything resembling a pulse would have been fleeting.\u00a0 No one could survive a head injury like that.<\/p>\n

When she looked up, all three soldiers were watching her, waiting for the official confirmation.\u00a0 She shook her head slowly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 She\u2019s gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn it,\u201d cursed Edwards in a low voice, turning away.<\/p>\n

Richardson turned to Flakeland and grabbed him by both shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cWhat did you mean by what you said earlier?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026 I meant what I said,\u201d Flakeland gasped.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2026 it was a horde of zombies, sir.\u00a0 Dead people \u2013 well, formerly dead, I guess \u2013 walking around, attacking.\u00a0 Soldiers and civilians\u2026 all victims of the plague, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re telling me that the people who died on this base \u2013 military men and their families \u2013 have come back to life as zombies.\u00a0 Am I understanding you, Flakeland?\u201d asked Richardson, and Jo could hear the frustrated sarcasm in his voice.<\/p>\n

Quivering, Flakeland nodded, and to Jo\u2019s surprise, so did Edwards.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s telling the truth, Colonel Richardson,\u201d the latter admitted, in a grim voice.\u00a0 \u201cI recognized some of them.\u00a0 Men and women whose bodies we hauled out to the fire pits last night, to burn in the morning.\u00a0 I know it sounds crazy, sir, callin\u2019 \u2018em zombies, but\u2026 I witnessed it myself.\u00a0 I was guarding the front gate when I heard screaming and gunfire.\u00a0 I hopped in my Humvee and came upon the two privates, tryin\u2019 to fight \u2018em off.\u00a0 Looked like a goddamn mob scene.\u00a0 I\u2026 I hit one of \u2018em, accidentally, when I saw \u2018em jump Butler.\u00a0 It was a woman, and she went right down, but when I stopped the Hummer and jumped out, she got right up again and started comin\u2019 towards me, draggin\u2019 a busted leg behind her.\u00a0 I knew somethin\u2019 wasn\u2019t right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI shot some,\u201d Flakeland inserted, his eyes wide.\u00a0 \u201cSo did Butler!\u00a0 They just kept getting right back up!\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t fight them off; there were too many of them!\u00a0 You have to shoot them in the head, or they just keep coming back.\u00a0 One of them bit me right here on the shoulder when I was trying to get them off Amy.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the first time, Jo noticed that the shoulder of his uniform was torn and that the shiny blood coating it \u2013 unlike the blood that covered the rest of them both from carrying Butler \u2013 was his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me look at that,\u201d she said.\u00a0 She moved Butler\u2019s legs, heavy with dead weight in their combat boots, over to the wall and pressed Flakeland down onto the spot she\u2019d cleared on the mattress.\u00a0 \u201cTake off your jacket.\u201d<\/p>\n

The private stripped down to the plain white t-shirt he wore underneath his uniform and pushed up the blood-soaked sleeve.\u00a0 The wound was deep; a whole chunk of flesh had been torn from his shoulder, and she could clearly see teeth marks.\u00a0 Jo had treated a variety of animal bites before, usually from dogs, occasionally something wilder \u2013 once in a blue moon, even a shark \u2013 but these looked human, and she told Colonel Richardson so.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m telling you, there\u2019s zombies out there,\u201d Flakeland insisted.\u00a0 \u201cI wouldn\u2019t make this up, sir, and neither would Edwards.\u00a0 Zombies killed Butler.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwards nodded once in agreement, and Richardson shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not doubting you, Flakeland,\u201d he murmured.\u00a0 \u201cI just\u2026 I can\u2019t\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwards put a hand on Richardson\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cWe understand, sir.\u00a0 You have to see it to believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI need something to clean this bite out with,\u201d Jo spoke up.\u00a0 \u201cDisinfectant of some sort.\u00a0 And some gauze.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richardson put a hand to his mask in frustration.\u00a0 \u201cThis is just a lodging facility; there\u2019s no first aid supplies here.\u00a0 There\u2019s a Red Cross building down the street from here\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf any of us goes out there, we\u2019re all going,\u201d Edwards injected firmly.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMom?\u00a0 What\u2019s not safe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Four heads turned to the bed across the room.\u00a0 All the talking had finally awakened Sleeping Beauty herself, Gabby, who was half-sitting up in bed, tangled in her sheet and blanket, her disheveled hair in her eyes and the t-shirt Colonel Richardson had loaned her to sleep in hanging off her shoulder.\u00a0 She blinked blearily in confusion at them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGo back to sleep,\u201d was Jo\u2019s first reaction, but that only served to put Gabby on alert.\u00a0 She sat up fully and looked past the officers.\u00a0 Her frown deepened, and then her eyes widened.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened??\u00a0 Is that girl-\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCover her,\u201d Jo hissed, and Flakeland quickly pulled the sheet from her bed up over Private Butler\u2019s face.\u00a0 To Gabby, Jo said, \u201cWe\u2019re not sure what\u2019s going on, sweetheart.\u00a0 That\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to figure out.\u00a0 Something\u2026\u201d\u00a0 She refused to use the word \u201czombie.\u201d\u00a0 \u201c\u2026 attacked her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat<\/i> did?\u00a0 What attacked her??\u201d<\/p>\n

They all exchanged glances.\u00a0 No one wanted to repeat what they\u2019d just convinced Jo and Richardson to believe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not sure,\u201d Edwards finally answered for the group.\u00a0 His voice was flat, and Jo could tell by the way Gabby\u2019s eyes narrowed suspiciously that she didn\u2019t buy it.\u00a0 She was too perceptive for her own good sometimes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll settle for antibacterial soap and water for now,\u201d said Jo, eager to stop Gabby\u2019s line of questioning.\u00a0 \u201cAnd anything you can bring me to cover this up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go,\u201d said Edwards, and he hurried from the room, returning a few minutes later with a small basin of warm water, a bottle of liquid soap, a washcloth, and a couple of towels.\u00a0 Jo set to work at once gently cleaning and dressing the wound with the towels.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust hold that to your shoulder, and that should stop the bleeding,\u201d she assured Flakeland, who was looking pretty green around the gills beneath his gas mask.\u00a0 His skin felt hot and clammy.\u00a0 She worried shock was starting to set in.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe we should have you lie down,\u201d she suggested, looking around the room.\u00a0 \u201cGabrielle, would you mind giving up your bed for this young man?\u00a0 We\u2019ll get you some fresh sheets later.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr a fresh room,\u201d added Colonel Richardson.\u00a0 Jo flashed him a grateful smile and a nod.\u00a0 Somehow, she knew Gabby wouldn\u2019t be keen on spending another night in a room where a girl had died, on a bed where this bleeding man had lain.<\/p>\n

Gabby reluctantly got out of bed, tugging self-consciously on her t-shirt, though it already hung to her knees.\u00a0 She stood back out of the way while Jo walked Private Flakeland to her bed and eased him down on it.\u00a0 \u201cThere you go\u2026 now lie down and rest; your body\u2019s been through quite a shock,\u201d she spoke softly to him in a nurturing voice.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t have been much older than twenty, more scared than hurt.\u00a0 She concentrated on caring for him while the two senior officers spoke in low, conspiratorial voices about what to do next.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s your first name, Private Flakeland?\u201d she asked him.<\/p>\n

\u201cJ\u2026 Justin,\u201d he croaked, and no sooner had his name left his lips than his eyes suddenly rolled back into his head, and his whole body began to twitch violently.<\/p>\n

\u201cJustin?\u201d Jo repeated his name loudly, attracting the attention of everyone else in the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s happening??\u201d Richardson demanded in alarm.\u00a0 \u201cIs he having a seizure?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt looks like it,\u201d confirmed Jo, a heavy feeling of trepidation settling into her chest.\u00a0 She recalled all the people she\u2019d seen go into convulsions yesterday, leading into cardiac arrest.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it the virus?\u201d Richardson asked, his thoughts on the same wavelength as hers.\u00a0 \u201cCould it have spread through the bite?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m wondering the same thing,\u201d Jo admitted, watching helplessly as the young soldier twitched and flailed.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t you stop it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jo shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cThe only way to stop a seizure is with an anti-seizure drug, which I\u2019m sure you don\u2019t have here either.\u00a0 Otherwise, they just have to run their course.\u00a0 It should be over soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

And so they waited, until at last, the spasms slowed, and Justin\u2019s body fell heavy and limp upon the mattress.\u00a0 By then, Gabby was crying, her face turned into the corner so she wouldn\u2019t have to watch.\u00a0 Everyone else was silent, nervously waiting to see if he would regain consciousness.\u00a0 Jo took his wrist to check for a pulse, and though she\u2019d feared it was inevitable, she was shocked to find that his heart had already stopped.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo pulse,\u201d she murmured.\u00a0 She leaned over Flakeland, rubbing her knuckles against his breastbone to try and stimulate some kind of response.\u00a0 \u201cJustin?\u00a0 Justin!\u201d\u00a0 She took his mask off to check for breathing.\u00a0 She tried a few chest compressions, but nothing brought back his vital signs.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s gone,\u201d she admitted at last, her shoulders slumping in defeat.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust like that??\u201d Edwards said in disbelief, shaking his head.\u00a0 \u201cAll from the bite, you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat has to be it.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t showing any other signs of the virus, was he?\u201d\u00a0 She looked Justin\u2019s body over.\u00a0 His pallor was gray now, but not pocked with the same lesions she had noticed on the victims at the hospital.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t had the virus before today; she was sure of it.<\/p>\n

Edwards and Richardson both agreed that he hadn\u2019t, confirming her theory and, as far as Jo was concerned, Flakeland\u2019s entire story.\u00a0 The two dead soldiers, one bitten, one utterly mutilated, were all the confirmation she needed to believe there was a threat worse than the virus itself lurking outside.<\/p>\n

She looked to the two officers.\u00a0 \u201cDo you have a plan for dealing with\u2026 what\u2019s out there?\u201d she asked cryptically.\u00a0 Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gabby turn to look at her.\u00a0 She was staying out of the way, but she was listening.<\/p>\n

Edwards looked as grim as ever.\u00a0 \u201cI think we should stay put for now.\u00a0 There were more of them out there than there are of us.\u00a0 We took out a few to get them away from Private Butler, but we were still outnumbered.\u00a0 And if our theory proves right, there\u2019ll be more\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes took on a faraway look, and Jo could understand why.\u00a0 She had watched him and the others dispose of the bodies in mass cremation piles on the outskirts of the base yesterday.\u00a0 They\u2019d burned many of the remains, but there had been more lined up for their turn today.\u00a0 If Edwards was right, if Flakeland had been right, the dead would no longer be lying amongst the smoldering ashes.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore what<\/i>?\u201d asked Gabby, and before anyone could find a way to deter her questions again, she stamped her bare foot against the industrial tiled floor and insisted, \u201cI know<\/i> you know, and I deserve to know too!\u00a0 I\u2019m thirteen years old; I\u2019m not a little kid anymore!\u00a0 Tell me what\u2019s going on!\u201d<\/p>\n

Jo looked apologetically at Edwards and Richardson, embarrassed by her daughter\u2019s disrespectful outburst in front of the two officers, before rounding on Gabby to scold her.\u00a0 But before she could say anything, Colonel Richardson shrugged at Edwards and said, \u201cI think she has a point.\u00a0 Everyone here deserves to be briefed on the situation.\u00a0 It\u2019s all of our lives at stake.\u00a0 Do you agree, Jo?\u201d\u00a0 He turned a meaningful look upon Jo, who hesitated, flustered, and finally nodded her consent.<\/p>\n

In the seconds before Richardson relayed what Edwards and Flakeland had told him, Jo watched her daughter with sadness.\u00a0 She was barely thirteen, and yet, she was right:\u00a0 in many ways, she was no longer a child.\u00a0 In the last day, she had seen death, witnessed the breakdown of society as they\u2019d known it.\u00a0 How far into society that breakdown reached, no one yet knew.\u00a0 But it was clear the world had changed, and Gabby with it.\u00a0 What she was about to hear would change her further, just as it had changed all of them.<\/p>\n

Colonel Richardson cleared his throat before turning his attention to Gabby.\u00a0 Despite the barrier of his gas mask, Jo admired the way he looked right at her when he talked to her, like she was his equal.\u00a0 \u201cCaptain Edwards and Private Flakeland were attacked by a group of people outside.\u00a0 They killed Private Butler, and we believe the bite they inflicted on Justin Flakeland is what killed him, too.\u201d\u00a0 Richardson kept his voice controlled and even, and the way he spoke in his low, easy drawl was calming, despite the frightening things he was saying.\u00a0 \u201cWe think they had the virus that\u2019s been killing almost everyone\u2026 and we think they\u2019d already died from it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabby frowned, her brow knitting in disbelief.\u00a0 \u201cBut then\u2026 you mean-?\u201d<\/p>\n

Richardson perched on the foot of the bed which held Flakeland\u2019s body, looked her full on in the face, and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI mean that they seem to be dead people, come back to life\u2026 or something resembling life.\u00a0 They\u2019re not the same as they were, that\u2019s for sure\u2026 not if they did this.\u201d\u00a0 He made a vague, sweeping gesture that encompassed both Flakeland and Butler.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike\u2026 zombies?\u201d\u00a0 The word came out as a whisper.<\/p>\n

Richardson nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI guess so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor real??\u00a0 This isn\u2019t, like, \u2018Scare Tactics\u2019 or something, is it?\u201d\u00a0 She looked around, craning her neck, as if searching for hidden cameras.\u00a0 Jo didn\u2019t have a clue what \u201cScare Tactics\u201d was, but marveled over her daughter\u2019s cynicism.<\/p>\n

Richardson shook his head and answered with the same quiet sensibility that made Jo innately respect and trust him.\u00a0 \u201cI wouldn\u2019t lie to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabby\u2019s reaction surprised her.\u00a0 Jo wasn\u2019t sure what she was expecting \u2013 screaming terror?\u00a0 A flood of frightened tears?\u00a0 But all Gabby said was, \u201cWow\u2026 this is just like \u2018Resident Evil.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Jo only knew vaguely that this was a video game, but Richardson seemed to know more.\u00a0 He nodded, and though his mouth was concealed by his mask, she could tell by the way his eyes crinkled at the corners that he had actually cracked a smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, what are we gonna do?\u201d Gabby asked, looking around the room.\u00a0 No one had an answer for her.\u00a0 Edwards\u2019s plan of waiting seemed as good as any for now, but they all knew they would need another one eventually.<\/p>\n

And then something happened that would change the plan immediately.<\/p>\n

Amy Butler sat up.<\/p>\n

As the sheet fell off her body, Gabby was the first to shriek and jump back, even though she was clear across the room.\u00a0 Edwards, who was closest, uttered a half-repressed shout that sounded like \u201cGah!\u201d and scrambled away, his eyes wide with disbelief.\u00a0 Jo watched in horror as the young woman dragged her legs stiffly off of the mattress, until her combat boots hit the floor with a heavy thump.\u00a0 Then she wrenched her upper body around to align with the lower half.\u00a0 Her eyes opened, and they were clouded over with a white film.\u00a0 The mottled, gray tissue of what was left of her brain oozed from the open fracture in her skull, and Jo knew she had not mispronounced this woman\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

What she was looking at now was the living dead.<\/p>\n

She retracted, instinctively, back as far as she could go, which was Gabby\u2019s bed on the opposite side of the room, the bed now occupied by Justin Flakeland\u2019s dead body.\u00a0 That was when she felt the mattress behind her move and knew, before she heard Gabby\u2019s second scream, before she turned to see for herself, that Justin Flakeland was not so dead anymore.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet out!\u201d Richardson\u2019s voice suddenly boomed.\u00a0 \u201cGo!\u00a0 Run!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He grabbed Gabby first by the arm and practically yanked her into the hall, then turned back for the others.<\/p>\n

Jo launched herself towards the door and looked over her shoulder at the same time, stumbling into Edwards.\u00a0 Flakeland had risen as well and was dragging himself off the bed.\u00a0 Butler was already lurching towards them, moving stiff-legged, her feet pointed inward, the reinforced toes of her boots scraping the tile.<\/p>\n

Edwards caught Jo and hurried her into the hall.\u00a0 Richardson slammed the door shut behind them, then said, \u201cI don\u2019t have a key to lock it.\u00a0 We\u2019ve gotta get out of here \u2013 go!\u201d<\/p>\n

It was Edwards who led the way now.\u00a0 Jo reached for Gabby\u2019s hand and followed at his heels, aware of Richardson bringing up the rear.\u00a0 She could hear thumps and scratching noises from inside the door even as their footsteps reverberated through the hall.\u00a0 They rounded the corner, ducked into the stairwell, and spiraled downwards.\u00a0 Edwards\u2019s heavy boots pounded loudly against the concrete steps, but Richardson, having been roused from his sleep, was in slippers, and Jo and Gabby were both barefoot, their feet slapping the cement.<\/p>\n

When they reached the ground level, Edwards stopped them shy of the door that led outside and drew his gun.\u00a0 It was a big gun, but it didn\u2019t give Jo much reassurance, not when she pictured the brains foaming out the side of Butler\u2019s head.\u00a0 Private Butler, she was sure, had been armed as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll lead,\u201d Edwards said, speaking in a hushed voice.\u00a0 \u201cStay behind me, but keep close.\u00a0 Lieutenant Colonel, sir, you cover us from behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got it, Captain,\u201d replied Richardson.<\/p>\n

Edwards pushed open the heavy door emblazoned with an Emergency Exit sign.\u00a0 An alarm went off, but the four ignored it as they crept outside.\u00a0 The light of the early morning sun was a welcomed relief.\u00a0 Jo didn\u2019t think she would have the courage to venture out in darkness.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go to the chapel,\u201d murmured Edwards, pointing his gun towards a building across a long parking lot.\u00a0 \u201cWe should be able to barricade ourselves in there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like a plan,\u201d Richardson agreed.<\/p>\n

Jo squeezed Gabby\u2019s hand and pulled her daughter closer to her side.<\/p>\n

They had only made it a few paces across the parking lot when they heard a terrible, strangled sort of moan that ran chills through Jo and made her hair stand on end.\u00a0 She turned towards the sound and gasped, as a figure lurched from the shadows, moving with the same, stiff gait as Butler.\u00a0 Edwards cocked his gun and aimed, but before he could fire, more of them appeared behind the first.<\/p>\n

Jo heard a click behind her and looked back to see Richardson also with his gun raised, though pointed the other way.\u00a0 She followed the line of his gun barrel and felt her heart sink at the sight of yet more zombies coming towards them from the opposite direction.\u00a0 They were completely outnumbered, and if they didn\u2019t move fast, they were about to be surrounded as well.<\/p>\n

Edwards seemed to recognize this.\u00a0 He fired, and as the first zombie fell, he turned and shouted, \u201cRichardson, take them and run!\u00a0 I got this!\u201d\u00a0 He aimed again and fired a second time.<\/p>\n

The loud blasts of the gunfire made Jo jump and Gabby clap her hands over her ears, but when the colonel yelled, \u201cC\u2019mon!\u201d and beckoned them to follow him, they followed, running as fast as they could.<\/p>\n

The blacktop surface of the parking lot was scattered with tiny pebbles and soot that cut into the bottom of Jo\u2019s bare feet, but she ignored this, running like she hadn\u2019t run in many years.\u00a0 Gabby, with the natural endurance of a child, broke ahead of her, but kept looking back, screaming, \u201cC\u2019mon, Mom!\u00a0 Run!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep going!\u201d Jo shouted, urging her forward.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m right behind you!\u201d<\/p>\n

She heard gun blasts from behind her, as Edwards took out more of their would-be attackers.\u00a0 In front of them, Richardson slowed down to aim at a couple of zombies who had appeared ahead.\u00a0 He fired once, and the first zombie fell straight backwards, a bullet wound to the forehead.\u00a0 He aimed again, fired, and the second zombie twisted to a heap on the ground with a shot to the neck.\u00a0 More emerged from the shadows, but they were almost to the church.\u00a0 Jo could see a back entrance just a few more yards ahead.<\/p>\n

Richardson reached it first and opened it, then stood guard as he beckoned furiously to Gabby and Jo, ready to take out any creature that tried to block their path.\u00a0 Gabby reached him first, and he shoved her on into the building.\u00a0 Winded and panting, Jo stumbled through the door after her and immediately doubled over to catch her breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go, Edwards!\u201d she heard Richardson shout, but she didn\u2019t look back.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t want to see any more.\u00a0 She started to lead Gabby further into the safety of the building, but Richardson said, \u201cWait!\u201d\u00a0 When she paused and looked back, he added, \u201cWait for me to clear the building\u2026 just in case there\u2019s more in here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jo hadn\u2019t considered that, but now, she shuddered at the prospect and pulled Gabby back into a protective hug at her side.\u00a0 They waited until they heard the pounding of Edwards\u2019s boots on the pavement, and at last, he burst through the door.\u00a0 Richardson shut it immediately behind him and bolted it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to compass the building,\u201d he told Edwards.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll do it,\u201d Edwards volunteered quickly.\u00a0 There was an odd look in his eyes, but with the gas mask hiding most of his face, Jo couldn\u2019t identify it.\u00a0 \u201cTake them into one of the Sunday school rooms; those should be small, easy to defend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richardson nodded and motioned for Jo and Gabby to follow him again.\u00a0 They did, down a hallway and into a small classroom with a few tables spread with Bible coloring books and crayons.\u00a0 \u201cHave at it,\u201d said the colonel with a wink at Gabby, but she didn\u2019t smile.\u00a0 She sank into a perch on one of the small, child-size chairs and hugged her knobby knees \u2013 still very much a child\u2019s knees \u2013 to her chest.\u00a0 Jo sat down on the edge of the table, her own knees weak and quivery, as much from fear as from running.<\/p>\n

And they waited.<\/p>\n

They waited in tense silence, listening, until, at last, Edwards reappeared.\u00a0 \u201cAll clear,\u201d he announced, but he didn\u2019t look relieved.\u00a0 His eyes still held a grim shadow, and when he said, \u201cRichardson?\u00a0 Could I have a private word?\u201d Jo got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.<\/p>\n

Richardson started to move into the hall, but Gabby brazenly called out, \u201cHey!\u00a0 Whatever it is, you can say it in front of us.\u00a0 We have a right to know, just like before.\u00a0 Right, Mom?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jo couldn\u2019t find it in her to agree out loud; she felt that, once again, Gabby was verging on disrespect.\u00a0 But in her heart, she did agree.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t want to be sheltered to the point of being kept in darkness, in ignorance.<\/p>\n

Edwards hesitated, sizing Gabby up.\u00a0 His eyes darkened even more, and then he said, \u201cAlright, kid.\u00a0 You wanna know?\u00a0 Here, have a look.\u201d\u00a0 And he turned around.<\/p>\n

Gabby gasped aloud and nearly toppled backwards in her little chair.\u00a0 Jo didn\u2019t react audibly, but felt her heart sink.<\/p>\n

There was a chunk of flesh missing from the captain\u2019s lower back.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been bitten.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can feel it coming over me,\u201d he said, and his voice was shaking now, as was his whole body.\u00a0 \u201cThe pain\u2026 the fever\u2026\u00a0 I can feel myself starting to sweat and shake.\u00a0 Any minute now, I could collapse in convulsions just like that Flakeland kid and wake up wanting to rip your heads off with my teeth.\u201d<\/p>\n

He cocked his gun then, and it was Jo who screamed first and lunged in front of Gabby, her first instinct to protect her.\u00a0 But Edwards let out a derisive laugh and instead pointed the gun at his own head.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t!\u201d shrieked Gabby in horror, and Jo pulled her to her side, shielding Gabby\u2019s eyes against her body.\u00a0 Gabby struggled, her muffled voice screaming, \u201cDon\u2019t let him!\u201d but Jo held her tight, refusing to let her see.<\/p>\n

\u201cCharlie, wait,\u201d said Richardson, holding up a hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do it then!\u00a0 Put me out of my fucking misery before I end up like them!\u00a0 Please!\u201d Edwards pleaded.\u00a0 His eyes were huge now, with savagery and fear.\u00a0 The hand holding his gun was shaking so badly, Jo wasn\u2019t sure he\u2019d have the strength to pull the trigger even if he\u2019d wanted to right then.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot here,\u201d spoke Richardson in that low, strangely calming voice.\u00a0 \u201cNot in front of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwards turned, and Richardson followed him into the hall.\u00a0 Gabby broke out of Jo\u2019s hold and watched them go through wide, tear-filled eyes, shaking her head in denial.\u00a0 \u201cNo\u2026 oh my god\u2026 Mama, don\u2019t let him\u2026 don\u2019t let him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jo said nothing, just put her arm around Gabby and held her.\u00a0 She wanted to cover her ears now, instead of her eyes, but it wouldn\u2019t have done any good.<\/p>\n

When it happened, the single shot shook the building.\u00a0 It rattled Jo\u2019s insides and made her feel like vomiting.<\/p>\n

With a guttural sob, Gabby collapsed against her shoulder.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

AN:\u00a0 Dedicated to TantalisinTeaser.\u00a0 Thanks so much for all your detailed reviews, Amy!\u00a0 Sorry to make you dead in your cameo\u2026 wasn\u2019t a lot of choice in a world where most everyone is dead! LOL\u00a0 Have fun eating people\u2019s BRAAAAAINSSS! =D<\/i><\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 36 I\u2019m not sure which was more frightening\u2026\u00a0 \u201cReaper\u2019s Sabbath,\u201d as some of us have come to call it, on which I nearly lost Gabby and, for a time, was sure I was going to lose my own life … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":36,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"onecolumn-page.php","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/208"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/208\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":209,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/208\/revisions\/209"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/undead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}