Eerie wailing drifted through the long stone corridor, muffled by the glass frame at its end. A wall of writhing flesh strained upon the cast iron portal. Murky winter light filtering through dense clouds cast long shadows through the chilly environment. Individual figures were only occasionally discernible from the mass, rendering any attempt to precisely count numbers futile.
"Whoa, there's a whole bunch of them out there. Maybe over a dozen." Ryan broke the silence as he scratched at patchy bits of brown hair on his chin. He had ambled away from the doors as Evan entered, but still gawked from nearby in a winter coat. "Where do you think they all came from?"
"Lots of people were trapped in the convention center." Evan exhaled a warm, misty breath. He gazed tensely at the moving shapes. Some were making weak motions to climb upon the gate and one another, but inelegant, uncoordinated movement forbade any success. "Maybe some of them were left behind like we were when the rescuers withdrew."
"Dang. I guess they tried to escape on their own and it didn't work. That sucks."
"Yes, Ryan. That does suck." Evan suppressed an impulse to audibly sigh, inhaling chilly air. The victims were probably desperate to find food and water before low stocks and bitter winter nights weakened them to the point an escape attempt would be impossible. All the more reason for them to enact their own exodus.
Gazing out beyond the glass at the mob, Evan steeled his nerves. If they were going to retrieve the vehicle, he knew there would be no choice but to slice a sanguine trail. Any such effort to reach that end needed to be before the clumsy, grasping figures became numerous enough to use each other as a grisly ladder to surmount the restraining barricade.
If they became numerous enough, Evan corrected his thoughts. That single word felt critical.
While waiting for the others to rouse, he set out to gather what he would need for the task ahead. The nearby rooms had more than enough clothing. Ryan followed Evan and provided assistance, a signal he at least had some semblance of understanding the situation. There were plenty of coats, gloves and knit masks available, so quickly building a protective outfit was trivial.
While adorning himself in heavy layers, Ryan spoke to Evan with an uncharacteristic tone of concern. "You sure you don't want to just wait here until things settle down?"
Evan pulled a knit face mask and overlaid it with an abandoned pair of thick-rimmed glasses as he replied. "So far, it looks like things out there have been getting worse, not better." The large lenses of the frame distorted his vision only marginally.
"Huh." From his tone, Ryan seemed unconvinced of the inherent plight of staying put indefinitely, but didn't press the issue. A brief silence lingered as Evan finished wrapping himself in protective garments, then retrieved the fire axe he had used the previous day. Examining the edge briefly, it had been blunted and scored; he could only hope it held as long as necessary.
Ryan spoke again. "So do you think the zombied guy we have locked up brought them here?"
"I don't know."
"Are we going to- you know- put him down at some point?"
"I don't know." Evan replied as he unlocked the front doors. The room containing Robert's hazardous corpse had been meticulously sealed the previous night. A sturdy wooden table propped on its side obstructed the hallway. Pinned in place with an assortment of heavy objects, it provided an obstacle for the zombie that it should not be capable of circumventing. Although the body was also restrained inside, it was wiser to not rely upon a single point of failure. "Maybe before we leave."
Evan turned and strode through the gaping doors, frigid air spilling over him. The unpleasant wailing death- held back with an iron lattice- awaited his focus. A rapid cascade of swift, but careful strikes numbed his mind as heavy cracking and icy thumps resonated disturbingly. Evan tried not to let his mind linger upon the handful of smaller figures amidst the clustering, reaching throng. All amidst the crowd were an equal threat.
As undead bodies fell into a growing mass of reeking viscera, those remaining did not hesitate to step onto the corpses of their fallen peers. Once the final target had been slain, an unpleasant heap blocked the entryway. Eerie semi-silence reigned the desolate city streets; broken only by the distant wail of other monsters. The bloodied implement clattered to the ground as Evan stumbled back, abruptly hitting the wall.
Damp clothing had been rumpled, but clean. Despite an unhealthy pallor and a few minor scrapes, almost every zombie had shown no serious injuries. Disposing of one or two pristine looking dead was one thing, but to mutilate so many human bodies in rapid succession had been exhausting in an intangible sense. Echoes of the actions replayed in his mind, the way the vibrations travelled down the handle of the implement and into his arms. The heavy thud as cleaving metal struck its target soundly. What was necessary had been done, but lingered.
Exhaling harshly, Evan redrew his focus: his task was incomplete. The next step would be to clear the gate. Faint sounds echoed from an unknown distance, prompting nervous vigilance. Moving closer, he looked about before wrenching the gate and slipping through for a better survey. Finally satisfied the immediate vicinity was presently clear, he moved the mutilated corpses with heavily gloved hands.
The small one-way street was lined on the near side with an allotment of parking spaces. Only a couple cars were still here, but not wanting to leave the inhuman detritus in plain sight, Evan opted to drag the horrific slaughter slightly up the street and deposit it on the far side of a two door junker with cracking blue paint. Skin exposed to the hard pavement tore, leaving a grinding trail of red flecks and torn clothing to the accumulating pile. Larger chunks of flesh were unceremoniously flung on top last.
Heavy quilts carefully placed would cover the worst of the carnage at the gate. Though the lingering vile odor was probably impossible to mask. Once finished, he sealed the portal and peeled away the slapdash hazard suit. Cold air rushed against bare skin, seeping warmth. New and old rust-spattered garments now laid along the corridor's side. Laying the quilts afterwords only took a moment.
Jennifer parted the door with a heavy white coat ready as Evan strode inside. The few inhabitants of the building were gathered together in uncomfortable silence. "We're ready to go." Nobody quite made eye contact as he spoke, or lifted their heads to see the results.
With great trepidation, Minoko moved forwards and spoke with an uneven voice. "I am ready." She was zipped tightly in a dark blue coat with the hood concealing her long hair. Somewhere, she had found some tight fitting jeans to replace her black skirt. It wasn't the most ideal of clothing, but the heavy materials and long sleeves should at least help resist a bite attack if they had to. Keys jingled mutely in her clasped hands.
"Me too." Leon took a deep breath. "Another set of eyes, just in case."
"Dude, you don't have to go." The light danced as Ryan moved closer to touch Leon's shoulder. "Evan is a total badass. He can handle it."
Disregarding Ryan, Evan directed an evaluating gaze to the slightly older man. Leon appeared fit and had been able to keep a steady pace the previous day. He was wearing a thick black sweater and heavy brown slacks. Gloves adorned his hands so not much of his dark skin was exposed. "Okay. Let's go then."
Evan paused to give Jennifer a parting kiss, then departed, leading the way outside for the small party. He briefly halted by the gate for a moment, then faced Leon. "If you had to, could you- do you think you could kill one of them?"
Leon nodded wordlessly after a deep breath, a determined look on his face. Evan hefted the bloodied axe, offering it. Shaky hands gripped the handle, but settled into a tight grip after a moment.
Evan turned to check the gate's immediate proximity. Faint wailing was audible, echoing from some unseen point. Satisfied the immediate vicinity was clear, he pushed the gate open a crack and slipped through. His companions ventured after him, Minoko trailing. "It's not too far away", she whispered tensely.
"Okay", Evan motioned in reply as Minoko and Leon gazed around. "Lead the way. If you see something coming, let us know but keep going."
Minoko led them along the side walk beside the building and out of the university grounds. There was a moment of hesitation before they crossed into the open corridor of the intersection, glancing around nervously for any moving figures in the distance before proceeding.
Onwards they trekked, walking in the street and into the open green space sweeping through the downtown blocks. Wailing echoed from some distant place. The echo of their own footfalls added to the surreality of lonesome emptiness. Occasional motionless forms littered the area; remaining as vague, distant shapes.
As they proceeded hastily across another street, Evan noticed a heap of rubble and twisted metal on the sidewalk. Scorch markings lined the near surfaces. At the top of the building, a sizeable section of brickwork was missing. Along another street, a bus was partly embedded into another building. Luckily, the damage appeared superficial in both cases. Few vehicles remained left abandoned on the road. A moving figure was walking in the road a long way off, but didn't seem to notice them.
Minoko led them away from the park after traversing along them a few blocks. Pausing just before entering the next intersection, she motioned towards the corner. "Almost there." She glanced at Evan and Leon only briefly, then advanced into the middle of the intersection.
Something just out of sight began a mad dash. Minoko screamed out as she jerked back and almost stumbled in her haste to retreat. A distinctive wail pierced the silence with the thumping feet.
Leaping forwards into the intersection, Evan moved to intercept whatever was coming. A charging figure came into view; barrelling towards him, hands ready to grasp. "Get behind me!" A moment later, Evan kicked out and hopped away perpendicularly, connecting with a thump just hard enough to topple the attacker. The momentum of its charge left it rolling onto the pavement, limbs flailing. "Go!" Evan shouted and waved as Minoko broke into a dash. Leon hesitated, but moved quickly afterwards, keeping his distance.
Circling around carefully and walking backwards, Evan watched the zombie tensely. Its frail form was wreathed in a heavily abused coat, its white, cold skin littered with cuts from the tumble. It used to be a man, but its overall frame seemed small enough to not give it much reach. Its messy, short dark hair was missing a patch.
It rose again and came for Evan in its mindless dash, both of them moving in the direction of their arrival. Leading it away gave it plenty of time to gain speed, then once again Evan jumped aside, this time a strong kick down at one knee produced a wet crack. A tense feeling gripped Evan's heart as he felt grasping at the arm of his coat, but fingers slipped away without purchase. The figure tumbled once again.
Moving to catch up with his peers, Evan took a moment to quickly survey the environment. One figure stalked in the far distance, but thankfully the immediate area seemed clear. Nobody but them was running, in any case. With luck, the figure behind them would no longer be able to run with the blow just inflicted.
Ahead, Minoko swung open the driver's door and unlocked the vehicle's other doors with an audible click. A moment after, the engine flared harshly to life. Leon opened the back and stepped closer to Evan, raising the axe as Evan ran. Footsteps behind Evan came closer as he heard the unsteady moaning grow louder. His leg ached as he moved with a faltering gait, the blows he had dealt taking a greater toll on his body than he had first realized.
Moving just past Leon, Evan halted to face his pursuer. Leon's arms swung down, the axe just missing the skull and slamming blade down into the attacker's shoulder. The strike met, sending the figure crashing to the ground. Leon released his grip as the blade wrenched downwards, jammed deep in the monster's shoulder.
Leon hesitated as the zombie struggled in its efforts to rise again, its limbs hardly able to bear its weight. Evan could see Leon's intent to retrieve the blade and pulled him away forcefully. "Leave it!" Together they piled into the back of the vehicle. Minoko tore off, leaving the solitary straggling figure behind a corner after only a moment.
The engine idled as the three recovered their breath. Each door was secured, but eyes still darted around nervously. There was nothing moving again on the streets. Only the scattered remnants of the city's former residents.
"So what do we do now?" Minoko whispered.
