Brent Acuff - Undead Nation 01 Page 12

  A hole punched through the windshield, narrowly missing Liam's head and the intact glasses spidered. A split second later the crack of a large caliber rifle was heard. Everyone was shocked and confused by this turn of events that Alex did not move and was nearly struck down by the second bullet that ripped through the side view mirror next to him, showering him with broken glass, metal and plastic. This caused everyone to react.

  Alex let go of the door and fell to the ground, curling his body and letting the momentum carry him away from the rolling tires of the truck. Liam yelled for everyone to hold on and jammed the brakes to the floor. The truck groaned and squealed in protest, but submitted to the demand to stop. The truck was moving at a slow enough pace that it stopped quickly causing everyone in the cab and trailer of the truck to be thrown forward. Stacey's head slammed into the front of the trailer wall opening a large gash in her forehead. The blood spilled quickly from the wound and bathed the floor at her feet a bright red.

  Sam, able to direct his fall on a less dangerous part of the trailer floor quickly ran to Stacey's aid, placing his hand on the gash to try and stem the flow of blood. Stacey weakly fought against Sam and tried to convince herself that she was okay. Her slurred speech and the nausea rising in her stomach told the real story and Stacey leaned forward to vomit at her feet. She slumped in Sam's arms and fell unconscious.

  Alex climbed to his feet as fast as he could after taking the fall he had, and ran towards the back of the trailer and the ladder that he could use to climb in to safety. A third shot clanged off the side of the trailer showering sparks down on Alex as he ducked around the back of the truck.

  Luke and Shawn raced passed the truck and trailer in their 4x4, the engine full throttle in an attempt to close the distance between the shooter and them. The were too far away to take an effective shot back at whoever was attacking them. Their only hope was to close the distance in order to give Shawn a decent chance at firing back. The windshield shattered as a large caliber round penetrated the cab and sent shards of the glass raining on the occupants. Luke shouted out in pain and grabbed at his right shoulder. His hand caught the steering wheel and pulled it to the right causing the truck to swerve out of control. Reason and clear thoughts broke through the pain in Luke's shoulder just long enough for him to slam on the brakes. The truck skipped and fishtailed before slamming into a stone embankment.

  The two men leapt from the 4x4, scrambling for cover behind the large wheels. Another shot clanged off the hood of the truck and Shawn and Luke prayed that they were in a safe enough position to come up with a better plan. Shawn looked up towards the semi and trailer and began shouting.

  "What are you doing?! Get back!"

  Liam was running down the middle of the road, dust from the unpaved road partially obscuring him. He was waiving his arms over his head and screaming for them to stop...whoever 'them' was.

  "Don't shoot!" he yelled. "It's me! It's Liam!" Whoever Liam was yelling at could not possibly hear him, especially if they were far enough away to make such a large gun necessary. As Liam crossed paths with the wrecked 4x4, Shawn dove out from behind his hiding place behind the wheel and tackled Liam to the ground. As quickly as he could, Shawn then dragged Liam behind the truck and into some cover. Liam was kicking and screaming like a little kid, trying desperately to get himself free. "Let me go! Let go of me goddammit!" Shawn wrapped his arms around Liam's, placing him in something of a bear-hug and pinning his arms to his side. The pain from the days old gunshot wound erupted in Liam's shoulder and he immediately stopped struggling.

  "They'll kill you," Shawn yelled at Liam. "What the hell were you thinking?"

  A vehicle could be heard approaching them from the direction of the farm. Something was coming and it was coming fast. Shawn released Liam and grabbed the rifle he had been carrying in the truck. He stood to face the approaching danger and raised his rifle to take aim at the truck barreling down on them.

  This time it was Shawn that was tackled and Liam drove his knee into Shawn's gut, knocking the wind out of the man. As he gasped for breath, Shawn watched as Liam stood to meet the newcomer with his hands raised above his head and shouting, "It's me! Don't shoot!" The truck ground to a halt just feet from the 4x4 which Luke and Shawn were hiding behind. An older man nearly fell out of the driver's side in his rush to get out and Shawn and Luke watched as Liam and the older man embraced like old friends.

  "I thought you were dead. Thank god, I thought you were dead." The man was sobbing and his tears were soon accompanied by Liam's own. The two stood hugging one another for a long time and Shawn was startled when he saw that Alex had approached them without his notice.

  "Shawn and Luke, meet Charles Beard...Liam's father."

  -----

  Charles Beard related the stories that he and the others at the farm had been facing since the outbreak. Looters, walking dead, even law enforcement had tried, unsuccessfully to take over the farm. Charles had always been a sort of survivalist and 2nd amendment fanatic all his life. The stores of MREs, weapons and ammunition would have armed a small militia. Alex thought of all the times he had called people like this dangerous and ridiculous, conspiracy theorists convinced that the government was going to take away all of their civil rights. Now he was thankful that some of the people were around, and that he actually knew one of them.

  "I'm sorry, son. I'm sorry to all of you," Charles apologized for the hundredth time. "I didn't know it was you..."

  "It's fine," Liam assured his father. "No harm, no foul. We're just happy that your aims sucks." Nervous chuckles echoed around the room.

  "That aim has kept me here, hasn't it? Can't be too bad, if you ask me." Charles smiled and winked at Alex out of the corner of his vision. Santa...that's how Alex would describe him, with the gray scraggly beard, balding head and wire rimmed glasses. Well, Santa if he were a gun-toting conspiracy theorist.

  Footsteps from behind them alerted the group that Dr. Cahn was coming back into the room. Luke was right behind him, shirtless with a white bandage covering his right bicep. "It was only a flesh wound, luckily. Probably shrapnel from the bullet fragmenting in the cab." Dr. Cahn stepped to the side to usher Luke into the room. "Pretty lucky guy, here. If that bullet had been six inches to the left..." and Dr. Cahn winced and grimaced at the thought of that outcome.

  "Jesus, man. I'm sorry...I'm really sorry," Charles began begging again for forgiveness.

  "It's alright," Luke said waiving off any more apologies. "You were protecting your home from what you thought was a threat. Any one of us would have done the same." He met each of the people gathered around the kitchen table and held their gaze for just a moment. "Now the real question is, what do we do now?" Luke's eyes fell on Alex and stayed there, putting all of his trust in the man who had planned their escape from Austin. Soon everyone's eyes were on Alex, waiting for him to speak.

  Alex looked embarrassed as he suddenly realized that everyone was looking to him for guidance. "Listen, I...I don't..." He stammered and coughed, uneasy with the trust and hope now thrust upon him.

  "Alex," Sam started. "You've been the one that has been the most logical and thoughtful with everything so far. It's been all of your ideas and plans that have kept us safe and gotten us here."

  "Not everyone," Alex mumbled, remembering the three people who had died in his presence since this all began.

  "And that's not your fault," Liam interjected trying make Alex come out of his stupor. "Those were beyond your control, and you can't blame yourself. Not everyone can be saved, you know this. Hell, you said it yourself..."

  "But that doesn't mean I'm right," Alex spat at Liam, a little more hate in his voice than he had planned. "I'm sorry, Liam. It's just...what makes you think I'm right?" Alex shrugged his shoulders to emphasize his uncertainty.

  "So far, so good," Sam said.

  "Yeah," added Shawn. "And just how do you know what needs to happen? It's like you've read a book about it or someth
ing." Shawn chuckled, but Alex's head snapped in his direction, eyes wide at what had just been said. "What? You mean you've actually read about this?" The laughter in Shawn's voice was now gone.

  "If I tell you, you'll only think I'm crazy," Alex replied and looked down at scratched table top.

  "Crazier than the dead rising form the grave and hunting us down like prey?" Sam asked and probed Alex to share.

  "Okay fine, I read a book on this, okay?" Alex was frustrated at their questioning and knew that by answering them it would only make things worse.

  "Really?" Liam asked. "What's the book?" His voice contained no sense of sarcasm or mocking tones. Alex looked up to see that Liam had asked the question in all seriousness and that none of the others gathered around the table were mocking him either. Everyone was serious...they wanted to know.

  "It's silly, really," Alex began not believing that he was actually talking about this. "It was 'The Zombie Survival Guide' by Max Brooks, but it was only a spoof," Alex quickly admitted. "There wasn't anything serious in there, it was just a piece of fiction." Alex looked around the room pleading with anyone to believe him, to not put their trust in him.

  "Sounds like an excellent piece of nonfiction now. Hell, maybe even reference material," Liam smiled at Alex and clapped him on the shoulder. "So, what's it tell us to do now?"

  -----

  The next five days were filled with hurried preparations and construction. A hole was cut in the roof of the farmhouse, braced and a ladder attached to allow access to the highest vantage point available to them. Sand bags were filled and arranged so as to provide a stable shooting platform more than protection from enemy fire. A backhoe loader proved to be one of the most useful pieces of equipment on the farm and it inspired Alex to create a unique defense of the farmhouse.

  A six foot trench was dug around the entire perimeter of the farmhouse with the excavated dirt used to create a four foot berm just behind the trenches. One of the barns was dismantled and the corrugated metal roof and side and the beams and studs were used as scaffolding to shore up the berms. This, once completed, created a nine foot high barrier completely encircling the farmhouse. The only way through this perimeter was a four foot wide opening in the berm which was then blocked with the front loader of the backhoe. This could then be moved to allow entrance to and exit out of the farmhouse in the case of an emergency or to allow teams to go out and forage for food and supplies. Alex made clear the necessity of planning for the eventuality that they would have to venture out into the surrounding areas to replenish their food and supplies.

  This work did not continue uninterrupted, however. The constant noise caused by the backhoe loader and the deconstruction of the barn drew in every zombie from the surrounding area. Several times a day the workers would have to retreat to the relative safety of the house until the threat could be neutralized. Body removal was the first real unwanted task implemented. Alex explained to everyone that while the dead bodies could just be left in the hot sun to rot away, the chances would increase of disease to arise. This piece of logic was latched onto by the resident doctor, who stood by Alex when the plans for a body detail was formed. After each battle a team of people would go out of the perimeter to set fire to the dead bodies, cremating them and destroying any trace of the virus or disease causing bacteria. This group would be watched over by two individuals on top of the roof who would use binoculars and scopes mounted on rifles to look for any stragglers. A second wave of defenders posted on top of the berms to give them additional height would also serve as protection for the body detail while they were out taking care of their duties. As imagined, no one volunteered for the body detail.

  Concerns were raised about setting fire to the dead bodies. The fear was that the fire would spread unchecked through the countryside and spread to the farmhouse. Dr. Cahn explained that it was necessary to the health of the group and Alex eased concerns by reminding everyone that the ditches and berms would provide an adequate barrier until the first fires died out. Alex then explained that they only need worry about the first fire as it would consume the majority of the substances that would fuel the fire and leave little if anything left to threaten the group afterward. The defenses were put in place, duty schedules and procedures for handling contact with the walking dead were agreed upon and put in place, and everyone settled into an uneasy sense of calm. Everyone knew that something bad was coming, but no one could think of what it was.

  -----

  "Contact on the southwest. Two slow movers heading this way." The call came down from roof and everyone on standby jumped into action. Alex was on duty as the backup and headed up the ladder for confirmation. Over the last couple of weeks the Beard farm had grow to include thirteen additional souls who had been lucky enough to stumble upon them. The first contact that they had with these refugees had almost been a disaster. Just days in the wake of their near deadly arrival, the same mistake had been made concerning the living, uncontaminated survivors.

  The Cahn boys had been on lookout, a mistake that Alex had never let happen again. Thinking that they would eliminate the approaching zombies at a distance that would not require them to have to burn the bodies, each of the boys began firing on the targets without alerting anyone or getting confirmation. One of the four targets was hit, a cloud of red blood spraying out the back of the victim. The boys began celebrating, giving each other high fives and missing the fact that the three remaining targets drug the fourth to cover. Zombies do not spray red blood from gunshot wounds and certainly do not care for their fallen.

  Liam had been on his way to the rooftop to relieve the brothers when the shots rang out. He darted up the remaining steps of the ladder to find the two whooping and carrying on as if they had won the war. Grabbing the binoculars that were hanging on the side of the ladder, Liam asked for the two to show him where the zombies were. Grinning, they pointed to the north and Liam searched for the approaching danger. His face drained of all color.

  "Man down!" he yelled. "Man down! We got an living man down! Dammit, you two just killed a living person because you're too stupid to check." Liam raced down the ladder and was greeted by Dr. Cahn as he prepared his medical bag to go help.

  "Don't forget the dog," he said casually as if this were just another day at the office. Alex hurried in with Shawn and Luke in tow.

  "Shawn and Luke, you'll accompany Liam and Dr. Cahn to check on the victims. Sam and Sid will head to the roof to take over the watch. Boys!" Alex yelled up through the roof access. "You're done. Get your asses down here now!" Alex looked to Dr. Cahn, realizing that he was about to discipline the man's sons and not sure how he would react.

  "They screwed up," Dr. Cahn told Alex. "They did not double check before pulling the trigger, and because of that, someone is dead or dying. They suffer the consequences...as you see fit, sir." Alex hated when they called him sir. Since the first night at the farm, after listening to his ideas and plans for their survival, he had been declared the leader of their group and taken to calling him 'sir' all of the time. This bothered Alex more than he would let anyone know. They were placing their survival on him simply because he had read a book.

  The Cahn brothers skulked down the ladder, not wishing to face the punishment that was sure to await them below. They knew they had screwed up, and screwed up big and they were in for it. Their eyes locked on their father's once they had set foot on the bottom rung of the ladder awaiting his stern words of disappointment.

  "Oh no," Dr. Cahn said to his sons. "You'll receive no such luck. You screwed the pooch, and the punishment that awaits you from Mr. Kemp here will be far worse than any I could put you through. I have to go clean up your mess if I can. You'll have to face him." Dr. Cahn shouldered his bag of medical supplies and turned towards the door. "Let's go, gentlemen. Paula," he yelled through the farm house, "We'll have wounded when we get back. Make sure everything is ready." Paula had become Dr. Cahn's right hand man ever since he had found out that she w
as a registered nurse with six years of emergency room experience. The two of them had made a near perfect team, taking care of any medical emergency either big or small with extreme care and precision.

  Everyone but Sam was on duty at the perimeter exit. These procedures had been put in place in the event that some unforeseen zombies lurked just outside the entrance. Sid Beard, Liam's younger brother, started up the backhoe loader and slowly backed it out of the entrance to allow the truck with Dr. Cahn and the others to leave. Everyone tensed for a moment until the truck had cleared and the backhoe was moved back into place.

  The Cahn brothers stood behind Alex with sullen expressions on their face. Alex turned to meet them stone faced and terror rose within them. "We...we're s...sorry, sir. It was an accident."

  "Shut up," Alex snapped. "This was no accident, this was carelessness and stupidity and because of it someone is most likely going to die. You little shits couldn't even bother to warn everyone else before you started blasting holes on anything that moved. There were signs that could have prevented this, but you two couldn't care less to look for them." The two boys were literally shaking as they stood facing Alex. The others who had gathered for the perimeter defense were now watching the goings on with increased interest. "Your father seems to think I have a right to punish you as I see fit. And what do you think about that?" The brothers stared at the ground, kicking imaginary rocks at their feet in a vain attempt to avoid the question.

  "I asked you a question," Alex yelled suddenly startling the brothers and everyone else gathered around. "And a question deserves an answer! Now I'll ask it again; do you deserve to be punished for your stupidity?"

  The boys looked nervously at each other, neither one wanting to be the first one to speak. "Answer me!" Alex shouted.

  "Yes sir," the younger of the two squeaked.

  "What?!" Alex shouted again louder than before. "Man up and speak your mind! Do you deserve it?" Both boys nodded slowly and looked at their feet. "Fine. We'll decide your punishment when we see just how bad you fucked up. Give me those rifles." Alex held out his hands for the weapons and the brothers handed them over. "Now inside both of you, and I don't want to see you until I come and get you."