Better Stay Dead 1: John's Shout Read online

Better Stay Dead 1: John's Shout

  Dave Callahan

  Copyright Dave Callahan 2013

  © copyright 2013, all rights reserved

  Chapter 1

  John was running with tears in his eyes. Fear and sorrow were trying to overwhelm his soul and the kid could not decide who was winning. They are dead. Mom. Dad. Grandma. They are all dead.

  But they weren’t exactly dead. In fact his father’s dead body was hunting him with a blood lusting fury he hadn’t seen even in national geographic’s most brutal documentaries. And it was catching up.

  He turned at Calvin Street. Maybe someone he knew would be around. The narrow road was empty, no human, no undead, no nothing. Only thing he could hear was his daddy’s - his calm caring daddy’s - vicious screams and his own heartbeat. He screamed in despair as he reached an old empty Ford Scorpio that was parked in the middle of the road. He was exhausted. He didn’t want to run no more. But just as daddy’s bloody mouth almost reached to bite off his shoulder, John ran again and whatever his dad was now fell on the car like a dumb fool. Fear won over despair.

  Now John was behind the Ford’s trunk, whilst his daddy was at the front. He was wearing his grey suit and his black tie, what he wore to work almost every day of John’s life. “Daddy” moved to the left and so did John, so “daddy” moved to the right now. This was like a ridiculous chasing game, like the ones he would play with his cousin up until he was ten. John just kept going the opposite direction of the monster, every time that undead piece of meat changed his mind. If it had any.

  “Hey son!” a shout was heard behind him. His choice of words was the most conforming for John. “Come to me son”! The kid gave one last look at Garry Wayne’s face, his dad’s face and then reluctantly turned and ran to the voice. The savior wore a police outfit. He was a middle aged man, with a long white mustache. He didn’t look at John, but kept looking behind him. He took out his gun and he aimed. John wouldn’t dare to watch. With tears still in his eyes he asked: “Is my dad really dead”?

  John shook as the gun fired so close to his ear.

  “Yes” the cop said. “And he better stay dead”.

  ~

  “You were really lucky it was one of us and not one of them” the cop said as he was doing a slalom avoiding abandoned cars in E Adams Avenue. You could spot a number of those rotten walking corpses around those fields. Some zombies were chewing off a human arm like it was a steak. The cop took a sudden right turn - he had seen the undead mass ahead on the avenue. And if the undead didn’t stop them it would be a fallen truck, or a set of abandoned cars. He knew how those avenues were nowadays. Unreliable.

  “Chances were it would be one of them. You are lucky. This was a gift. Use that knowledge. Fight. Don’t abandon hope for christ’s sake”.

  John was barely listening. They had lasted one month. One crazy scary month. But today they lost. Everything was lost… for a fucking can of coca cola that mom dropped! For a fucking cola!, John thought and started sobbing. They were raiding the supermarket and its vast warehouse like they’ve done five times already. But this time they weren’t as quiet. A fucking can killed my family!

  “Stop it kid. Stop crying”. The cop nudged the kid with his right hand. He grabbed his head and turned it towards the monitor. “Look”, he said. “This is what you should be worried about right now. This is the only thing that should be on your mind. If that gas meter drops, we are completely on our own. I have a couple of friends up west in Fresno”.

  The cop whistled a song too old for John to recognise. “It’s a shame Adams was blocked but we’ll soon reach Lincoln Avenue. We are so close, but to be frank I’ve never seen the meter so… below empty”!

  John could not care. The cop’s attempts to put some sense in him have failed miserably so far. He wasn’t trying. The zombies around him were still scary - but a solution nonetheless. Why didn’t it end for him back there? What’s the point of surviving all alone?

  An ominous sound was heard. It was like the engine was trying to chew on something metallic, or was coughing like an eighty year old heavy smoker. “Why did it have to be now…! Shit!”, the cop cursed. “This is my fault. I should have risked and tried more gas stations. Quick boy. Get up! We are walking… We ll check some abandoned vehicles if we get the chance, though chances are they were abandoned because of gas too”.

  The cop got out and opened John’s door for him. He sighed and looked at the ground. “My name is Derek Colton. I had a wife and a kid till November 3rd. Now I don’t. Don’t you feel like you owe it to your parents to give a crap about yourself? Do you have any idea how much effort they put in you? They would be frustrated - let alone devastated if you let all that effort go to waste”.

  The seemingly mute kid didn’t answer. But at least he gave his hand for Derek to pull.

  “That’s my boy. Now this is one empty damn avenue. Empty is good. Though as I told you the golden rule is: chances are you meet one of them and not one of us”.

  Chapter 2

  Luanne Myers screamed. She grabbed tightly onto the man’s back as he distanced himself just in time before the unwanted would happen. Luanne was uncomfortable that she was now wet, but happy that the man named Sam was pleased. He met Sam two weeks ago and so far he was everything a woman could wish for in these scary times. A handy survival tool.

  Sam caressed Luanne’s hair and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. He loved the girl’s angelic red hair and admired her perfectly shaped nose. “Did you like it?” he asked.

  “It was perfect. I mean… at least one thing is better for my life after the apocalypse”.

  Sam laughed.

  Sam Webber was well-shaped and Luanne wasn’t lying about the sex being pleasurable - she was just exaggerating.

  “I’m starving” he said. “Should we grab a bite”?

  “Honey… We already ate for breakfast. It’s only been three hours, don’t you think we should be more tight with our resources”?

  “It’s not my fault. You are the one who made me starve”.

  She giggled and pulled his dense blond hair gently.

  Luanne considered herself so lucky. She had made her own efforts in order to survive and now it was time to retire. Before the apocalypse - as she and Sam call it - she was a saleswoman - one that was considered to use her good looks more than any other persuasive skill to score a sale. In her mind, she was the same now, just in a different context. When she found Sam she knew she would follow him, not because of his obvious physical strength nor his steady, certain voice.

  It was his car. A black limousine that for Luanne meant a possible huge sale. And she was right.

  Sam proved to be the chauffeur of a guy named Raymond Milk, who was candidate for senator in California. When she saw the limo, Luanne shouted ignoring the zombies around her. It was her big shot.

  So Sam took her to Raymond Milk’s highly secured place. They didn’t know exactly where Raymond was but Sam figured he probably got chewed off in one of his pre-election campaigns.

  Sam had already brought three of his friends here. A couple in their mid thirties, Teresa and Bill, along with his best friend Jax. The house consisted of two separate buildings: The main house and the guest house. Both had enough food for them to last over one month. In Sam’s mind, that gave them one careless month and one they would have to go crazy over finding some magic pool of resources.

  Jax knocked the bedroom door - he Sam and Luanne were living in the main house.

  Before someone answered, he opened. They quickly covered themselves under the sheets.

  “Hey fellows. Having fun? I suppose no one heard the bell ringing by any chance”?
/>   Jax made a disgusted face when he saw what Sam should have covered the most.

  “Well… Jax my man. Can you handle it”?

  Jax wasn’t sure if he was talking about the bell or what he just saw. He took a guess.

  “Ehm… It could be someone who wants in - isn’t that a decision we should make as a whole”?

  “Ok. Just give me a minute. Go open and I’ll come right down”.

  “Okie dokie”.

  Jax went down the wooden internal stairs and opened the building’s front door. Outside were Bill and Teresa.

  “Oh Jax. You heard the bell didn’t you? We were coming to get you guys. Where are the others”?

  “I am not telling you that to be jealous or anything… but they are at their ‘lovebirds’ era in their relationship. We’ll handle this on our own for a moment. Let’s see what we’ve got”.

  They walked the path to the heavy garage door - Jax walked on the grass.

  “Hey Jax man. This is no longer someone’s grass! It’s ours. Quit stepping on it” Bill complained.

  Jax nodded indifferently.

  They went to the side of the door to take a look at whoever was calling them.

  Bill was in front and saw what appeared to be a middle aged couple. The man had grey ponytail hair and a necklace. The woman was a chubby lady with curly brown hair.

  “Can we help you fellows”?

  “Well… Can you? We are out here. Us and those things, we don’t have a fence separating us. We could use all the help we can get”! He sounded like a smoker.

  Jax pushed Bill and took his place. “There are many, many apartments and houses nearby. I am sure there are many uninhabited too. We are full and can’t afford anyone else right now. We are really sorry”.

  “Mary step back”, the man said. Behind the woman a big pile of plastic bags was revealed. “Look man, we just want in. We promise to use only what we bring ok? See. We got supplies. We really, really need fences around us and listen to me - I’ve got a gun. I can help, I used to be a hunter”.

  “Zombies won’t be able to come inside here pal”, Jax said.

  “Yeah maybe zombies can’t threaten us inside here for now, but what about other people”, Bill argued. “There might be many out there who are jealous of our little setup here”.

  “We’ve got our own guns” Jax said and pushed his jacket to the side to reveal his handgun.

  Bill looked angrily at Jax. He then turned to the ponytail man: “Give us a minute”. He grabbed Jax aside. “Listen to me. They won’t use our staff. The guy is a hunter. We could be safer with him in here. Hell he seems a better deal than the Luanne chick”.

  “Can’t argue with that. Where the fuck is Sam anyway?

  “All I am saying is let’s bring them in and interview them with Sam - if most don’t like them then we send them back from where they came”.

  Jax sighed. “Whatever”. He pushed the button in his control. The gate slowly opened.

  “Thank you fellows, really thank you”, ponytail said. He looked at Billy: “You are a smart man, a really smart one. There are really many who would want to take over such a beautiful little fort like yours”.

  Jax looked behind those two. A group of men was walking towards the garage door.

  “Oh shit!” he said and when he looked at ponytail again he was pointing a gun towards his head.

  “This is such a yummy little fort” ponytail said and fired. The bullet went through Jax’s skull and his dead body stained the grass Bill was trying to protect so much.

  Teresa screamed. Bill was unarmed so he grabbed her arm to make her start moving. The group of men entered the property. A brown haired young male aimed and shot. Bill screamed. He was hit in the shoulder.

  “Such an amateur boy”, ponytail man said. He moved towards Bill as two men were taking Teresa away. “We won’t waste another bullet” he said and pulled a scary knife. Now, it was Bill’s turn to scream as the hunter stabbed him in the face.

  Teresa screamed and sobbed.

  “Shut the bitch up”! A man next to Bill’s shooter closed her mouth. Ponytail reached close to her. “Don’t worry sweety. We won’t harm you… You see. We are so many men and there are so few women”. He smiled and revealed some ugly yellow teeth.

  “Now then… Tell me sweety. How many more are inside”?

  ~

  Sam grabbed Luanne and ran. They reached behind the guest house.

  “What are we gonna do Sam”.

  Sam wasn’t a hero or so he thought. He was crazily scared. “I have a plan. It’s our best shot”.

  Sam Webber was actually devising the plan on the fly. “The cellar is down there”, Sam pointed at the trap door. “I’ll hide inside here. And you… You will go and surrender”.

  “What?” Luanne argued. “Are you crazy”?

  “Listen to me. They didn’t kill Teresa. You have got to do it fast, before Teresa spills the beans. I’ll come back for you. I swear to God I will. I won’t be able to help you if I am dead. Go now and tell them there is no one else”.

  Luanne was trembling. But it actually made some sense. She was a pretty prize. All she had to do was win someone’s heart.

  “Go the other way around. Like you just exited the guest house”.

  She walked. This was something she could pull - after all, she was a saleswoman, she kept reminding herself.

  As the men spotted her, she raised her arms to surrender. She saw lust in their looks, but she saw at least two of them who obviously felt something more than that. They were charmed and Luanne could spot that look with ease - she was used to having that effect on men.

  “Hey, hey sugar”, ponytail said skipping Teresa who was still crying. “You are smart giving yourself up like that. I like smart”, he pointed his finger like a teacher.

  Luanne saw at least two men checking her ass.

  “Now. Please enlighten me because I can’t get anything from this constantly crying bitch… Tell me and we shall have a nice, caring relationship. Is there anyone else inside this property”?

  Then Luanne was enlightened. If she had that effect on them after just one minute, how easily could she recruit their trust in a month? And they were obviously the winners for now. They were the ones that she could really rely on, even if some seemed like savages.

  She saw the brown haired young man. He was actually handsome. She was confident she could turn him into a sweet lovebird.

  “There is one more man”, she said.

  “And where is that man sugar”?

  “In the cellar. It’s behind the guest house”.

  Teresa gave her a look full of hate and Luanne looked away.

  Mr. Ponytail tapped her on the shoulder and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Andy and Xavier come with me”.

  The three of them walked through the grass, and, when they reached the walls of the guest house, took some kind of formation. Ponytail sent the two men to the front. They reached the door of the cellar. With a strong pull it opened. Then they heard some screams.

  “Hey”! Someone shouted, as the garage door began to open. Sam crawled under it and a gunshot hit the steel above his head.

  “Damn he is getting away”!

  “Fuck”, the brown haired young man shouted.

  Ponytail and the other two came back running.

  “Should we hunt him Frank”?

  Frank, the ponytail man, laughed happily.

  “It’s ok guys. We’ll eventually kill or recruit him”.

  Chapter 3

  The girl was 26 years old. The two sounds that accompanied her were two raging zombies who were eating an innocent man and the kicks of the baby inside her belly. To her side was a man - not the father, the woman was thankful for that. The man had agreed to take care of her and the baby, if she would give him a little bonus now and then. So far the woman had negotiated for the bonus to be nothing more than a handjob - but the man would soon demand more.

  They were moving again - th
e place they found was “strategically bad” as Theo Martinson declared. She took a peek from behind the van they were hiding. She counted ten zombies all around a parking meter on the other side of the road. It was late in the afternoon, soon it would be dark, as if the situation wasn’t ominous enough already.

  “You can’t expect us to go on”, Alice said. “I can’t outrun those monsters in my condition. Please, just please, let’s try this tomorrow and let’s stay in our place tonight”.

  “We don’t have food”, Theo answered. “We’ve got to move. I am starving already”.

  “Why don’t we try the van”?

  Theo looked at her frustrated: “Are you planning on giving birth to a gallon of fuel? Cause if you do maybe this isn’t a god damn stupid plan”!

  “We didn’t even check”.

  “We don’t need to”.

  Suddenly, someone screamed. It was a young girl, at her late teens, running alone in the center of the road. That’s when Alice found the courage and got out of the van’s cover and she saw it: east on Greenwood street were at least four dozen more of them and now they all started running like hell to get the girl.

  “Now!” an excited Theo said. “Now is our chance, let’s run”!

  “But… the girl”.

  “Don’t even think about it. It will be your last wrong call on earth. Hurry”!

  They started running. They passed a narrow alley to their right. Alice knew she shouldn’t have looked anywhere - her job was to keep running. But she couldn’t help it. So she saw six more of them that had just finished a feast and were now focused straight to them. The teen girl was no help in this - those “guys” knew that there was more meat west.

  A vicious, well shaped zombie, apparently what used to be an athlete, started running in about double Alice’s speed.

  “Theo!” she shouted. “Theo! It’s catching up”!

  Theo didn’t turn his head. “Run” he shouted and he followed his own order.

  Alice was now feeling the gnarls of the undead on her shoulder. She had regrets for her baby… She really wanted to bring him in this world.

  Bang. The zombie fell dead. Alice froze. That was a gunshot. One that almost scratched her. A heavy lady-zombie followed. The miraculous gunshot was absent now. Alice screamed but managed to barely push the lady enough not to get bitten.