I can't remember if I've said this already but if I have it bears repeating, I really enjoy this story and I think it is the best I have ever encountered on ARF.



ETA: I've noticed a few more spelling errors than usual in the last few chapters but if that means you get them to us quicker I couldn't care less.

I cut and pasted both stories into a Word document, and spent all day yesterday reading them at work. At least I got SOMETHING accomplished yesterday!

Excellent story, well done.  MOAR!!!....







...please

I did too, how long is yours? mines around 240 pages after a little adjusting for size.

194 pages, Arial #10 font, and edited line/page spacing.
Much easier to read, and when the boss walks by it actually looks like a document instead of a web page.

INCREDIBLE STORY!!!

This story and part one have been amazing!

Mi apologys on da slopppiness and typos   but you'are spot on.  I was rushing to git a nother chaptre up and sacrificed quality.  Eye will keep a better I on it for the next one.    

Can you say "Hookd on foniks?"

Keep up the awesome work fast45!!!

AKASL

LIVE ZOMBIE FREE OR DIE

Who cares if there are a few errors, great story! Thanks for all the work and your creativity.

Chapter 17
The Darkness


The third time the lights flickered, Simon reacted.  The lights dimmed again before he got to the door.  He jogged over to the nearest phone and punched in the number to the dam’s control office, perturbed that the first festive occasion was being interrupted because someone wasn’t paying attention.  When the phone went unanswered, Simon looked around to find another engineer and Ray.  He spotted Ray along the far wall, talking with a group of people, all casually sipping punch or mixed drinks.  He waved to Ray and finally got his attention.  He could see Ray excuse himself and start toward him and then everything went black.

No one seemed panicked the first few seconds, but then the murmur of the crowded room picked up to a roar.  People tripped in the darkness, stepped on by others as they pushed to the doors.  A few flashlights snapped on and people were trying to calm the crowds.  “Everyone, please calm down and make an orderly move to the exits” I heard as Annie and I stayed close to the wall and headed to the back kitchen exit.  That would put us closer to the apartment building and avoid the mob that was really pushing now.

“What do you think happened?” Annie asked.  

“Maybe a breech in the fence popped a fuse or something,” I answered, looking to downplay any excitement.  She looked at me and raised an eyebrow, so I knew that the answer was too simplistic.

Once we got outside, I could not see any lights anywhere, except for a couple dozen flashlights scattered around the area.  Like us, many people were trying to get home and get ready.  We all knew the day could come when the power went off line, even if only briefly, but we had gotten complacent.  And complacency kills; I just hoped it wasn’t going to be too many.

We arrived home and found Berne waiting at our door.  He was dressed and kitted out for combat and so I knew he hadn’t made it to the dance yet.  Too bad, was my initial thought, hoping he’d have been able to relax and maybe find someone to share some time with.  But as things looked to be working out, his staying home had saved us some reaction time.  “Keys to the trucks?” I asked.  He tossed me a ring that had keys to both our trucks on it.

I grabbed a pair of binoculars and went to the window.  Scanning the fence and berms proved to be a waste of time; thick clouds now obscured the earlier bright moon, and I couldn’t see a thing.  In the distance I could hear gunshots.  I hoped that people could see more than we could here, or they were doing nothing more than signaling the Zs.

We bounded down the stairs, carrying Dad and Ollie’s gear and weapons with us in case we met them along the way.  Ollie, his new female friend and Dad were just coming through the door when we came off the stairs.  I handed Ollie his kit and he threw it on in the light of my flashlight.  “Check your Dad.” He whispered.  

I pointed the light up at the ceiling to illuminate more of the hallway and saw that Dad was leaning against the wall.  There was blood streaming down the side of his face from a cut near his temple.  The area was bumped out and bruised already.  “What happened?” I asked, drawing everyone’s attention to him.  He tried to turn away but we had all seen him.

“Ran into some people and got knocked down.  I’m OK.” He professed.

“That may be, but you’re staying here.” I said bluntly.  He started to object when Berne cut him off.

“You’re staying.  Get patched up and we’ll check back in as soon as we know what’s going on.” Berne said.

“Come on, I’ll help clean you up.” Ollie’s friend offered and was already pulling Dad’s arm over her shoulder.  

“Thanks, Wendy.” Ollie smiled and gave her a peck on the forehead.  Dad had no choice but to go along now, unanimously outnumbered.

–– -

We met up with several other vehicles in front of the school.  We followed the small procession up to the surface street that ran parallel to the berms and could already catch glimpses of the problem.  Hundreds of small groups of Zs were streaming through a large break in the fences.  Many of them turned to face the headlights.  We had, the city had, about ten minutes to scramble together a response and it was going to take us almost half of that to get back and tell them.

We raced back, nearly crashing into parked cars and light poles in the dark.
Ray was already at the command center when we pulled in.  The look on his face told me that he already knew that I was going to give him bad news.  “We have no power and cant get hold on anyone at the dam.  How bad does it look out front?” he asked.

“Bad enough.  The fences are down and the Zs are pouring through.  We need the heavy equipment there ten minutes ago.” I replied.  He shook his head.  

“I put the word out as best I could at the dance.  But honestly, since everyone was with their loved ones at the time, I think the response will be slow coming.  They’re all plenty scared.” He advised.

“Get some keys.  There’s four of us and we’ll get started.” I offered.  He told me the keys were in every piece of equipment in case of such incidents.  I knew that Annie had driven a roller on a paving crew once, but that was a long time ago, and most of the heavy equipment was bigger.   “Maybe you should head back to check on Dad and secure the building.” I suggested.

“Not happening.  Just show me how to get the something moving, I’ll figure the rest out as I go.” She shot back.  It wasn’t worth arguing about, even if we had the time.  We were part of the front line and that line was moving closer every second.

We rolled into the truck park and jumped aboard a pair of end loaders, a plow and a bulldozer.  Berne took the dozer but I didn’t like the fact he had no protective cab.  He was totally exposed except for a roll cage and some wire mesh between the bars behind the seat.  The only safety he had was that he was eight to ten feet off the ground.  Annie took the plow since it was as close to a regular truck as we had.  When Ollie backed into the building right after firing up one of the massive loaders, I thought that he and Annie should probably switch.  I told myself to veer well clear of him once he figured how to go forward.  Before we got moving too far, a few guys showed up and hopped on other equipment.  Nine vehicles moved out against an unknown number of the enemy.

Two pickup trucks, loaded down with shooters, sped past us out the gate.  Things were coming together, but we were seriously behind the ball.  We hadn’t gone a quarter of a mile when we encountered the first advance elements of the zombie attack force.  I was struggling to learn the controls on the loader as I motored toward the gaps in the fence, and must have looked like a drunk driver to anyone following me.  After several tries to get the large bucket out front into a position I could see and drive with, I finally settled on scraping the ground as I bounced along.

We smacked into the sluggish Zs and crushed them under the weight of the big tires and tracks.  Luckily, the more experienced drivers were getting the bulk of the larger groups, leaving the stragglers for the rest of us novices.  I was jolted nearly out of the cab of the loader by a heavy blow to the rear of the big vehicle.  I snapped around and saw the headlights of Ollie’s plow truck, the blade of which was now bent at a sever angle.  Sheepishly, he waved to me in an attempt to apologize, I think.  One corner of the blade dragged into the tarmac, leaving a deep groove, and sparking when he caught the curbs.  It didn’t really matter; the metal was still able to destroy any Z that Ollie managed to ram into with it.  

The road was turned to a congealed mess of black ooze and broken bones and bodies.  The other heavy equipment made pass after pass along the road next to the fence, trying to work in closer to it.  The number of Zs pouring through was staggering and I could see now and then, between the vehicles and masses of bodies that the Zs were breaking through further along the fence.  Amid the bouncing headlight illuminated carnage, all I could see was an ocean of pale-skinned zombies.  They just kept coming.

Without the fence, we had no real defenses.  It was time for an offensive measure.  I tried the handheld radio, but got no response.  I prayed that it wasn’t because there was no one at the command center.  I attempted to signal other drivers to have them try their radios but the action was too much to take one’s attention off what was happening.  I was letting the end loader roll along at an idle during this time and noticed a pickup approaching.  I stopped and waved to them.  It was Gavin with a few shooters.

“We need to build a stop gap.  How many gas cans do you have on board?” I asked.  I watched the men on the truck look around and after a brief scramble; they came up with two-5 gallon plastic jugs.  “It’s a start, can you get them close to the fence and then back off and blow them?”  He didn’t even answer, shifting the truck into gear and tearing off through the crowded street.  The guys in the back were shooting, not wild, panicked fire, but well aimed, professional shots to bring down the Zs closest to the truck as they moved.

I watched the two red cans sail in a low arc and bounced up next to the fence.  A road flare ignited in the bed of the truck and went out to land near one of the plastic cans.  A flurry of shots ripped the cans apart, splashing gasoline in a quick flash.  More than a dozen of the Zs were on fire and for the first time I saw them react to something.  Whether it was the pain or a reaction of their blood to the heated flames, I wasn’t sure, but they stopped coming forward and struggled in their lethargic attempts to put out the fire.  Within a minute, some were dropping over, motionless.  It didn’t seem to change the course of any of the others not directly in contact with the flames but we were all stunned and had stopped moving to watch.

The same idea must have been going through everyone else’s mind the same as mine.  We had a way to kill and stop larger numbers of these murderous creatures and it had been so simple none of us had thought of it before now.  I signaled to Annie and Berne to get turned around.  We had to get back to the school and let the others know and to try and get some gasoline up to the battle area before these monsters reached there.   Ollie was rolling around in a wide circle, and I think he had given up on trying to shift through the gears of the big truck.  In slow motion, he straightened out and followed after us, with 8-10 Zs clinging to the side of the truck.

One of the security pickups raced past us and headed for the command center.  Our little convoy was back together, with Ollie bringing up the rear.  The experienced drivers of course were pulling away from us too, anxious to get back to their families.

–– -

Simon was fuming, his anger directed at the loss of the dam and the power system.  He felt that people had failed to stay at their posts and now we were all in danger of being overrun.  I could see the fear in his eyes, since he had always placed his safety and courage in the fact that the power was the only thing holding the Zs away.  It wasn’t the time to remind him that it was all of us, our collective human will to survive that would triumph.  The power station was but a luxury, a convenience that we had all grown dangerously complacent with.  We’d taken for granted that power would always be there.  Now, it was up to each of us, and all of us together.

Ray had recalled the heavy equipment and had it lined up in front of the school and command center, waiting for a couple of additional pieces to arrive.  Two semi-tankers loaded with gasoline and diesel fuel rolled around the corner and ran perpendicular to the building front, valves wide open, and a gush of the volatile liquids spraying out each side.  They ran down several blocks and turned left, forming a ring of flammable fuel around the inhabited area.  Next, a series of smaller tanker trucks came into view and I could make out the names of the major gas companies on the doors.  They took the same course as the big rigs had, adding more fuel to the ground outside the original ring.

Finally, two fire trucks rounded the corner and pulled up, one in front of each building.  I thought it was a little presumptuous that anyone thought these two trucks would be able to contain a blaze if things got out of hand.  Berne walked up with a grin on his face.  “What’s up?” I inquired.

“Ollie.  Who’d have thought he would think of such things.”  I gave him a questioning look.  “The fire trucks.  They’re loaded with gasoline.  Gonna make a great big flame thrower with them.” He explained.

“Sweet!” I offered.  “Nice going Ollie.” I added as my brother in law walked up to join us.

“Wish we could stay and watch.  Ray wants a bunch of people to head down to the dam and protect some engineers, see if they can get things back on line.  I kind of volunteered us.” He said sheepishly.  I wasn’t angered, that was an important mission.

“Let’s get going then.” I said.  The four of us headed back to the command center and retrieved the trucks.  Dad was down on the first floor, coordinating the rescue effort.  He handed out radios and flashlights and some small note pads with the names of everyone going along, and some blueprints and maps of the dam and surrounding area.  

Four trucks were already loaded and waiting out front.  Gavin and Jimmy each had Blazers, containing the engineers and a couple shooters.  Two other trucks loaded with armed men were behind them.  Two female shooters came out of the building, loaded down with packs and weapons.  One was Ollie’s friend, Wendy.  Without hesitation, they both climbed into Ollie’s truck as if we were heading to the mall.  I didn’t hear one word of objection and knew that my age was creeping out again.  I had forgotten for an instant that this was a new world and that the old stereotypes and chauvinisms had no place.  I’d seen some of the gals in town shoot and battle Zs right along side the men and had to admit, some of the time they were better at it, certainly more so than the scared looking engineers huddled in the back of the Blazers.

I waved goodbye to Dad and he gave us the thumbs up.  Shooting erupted, the sounds coming from out front of the school area, but more distant.  The Zs must have been just making contact at the fences and some excited men with guns had lit them up.    I rolled up the window and switched on the lights, shifting to drive and heading out to the dam.   Increasing speed would not be a good idea now, in the darkness, any obstruction could cause damage to one or more of the trucks and compromise the mission.  It was dark, clouds having settled in and blocked out any moonlight.  Even the trucks auxiliary lights had trouble penetrating the inky blackness.  

The road descended as we neared the riverbank.  I kept sight of the chain link fences to my left as much as possible as a sort of guide.  The road narrowed as we reached the western bank, coming onto the dam property.  As we neared, chain link fences lined both sides of the road in double rows, topped with razor wire.  It was almost like entering a prison.

Two ghoulish creatures stood near the locked gate and turned to face our lights.  I couldn’t hear them, but watched as both opened their ugly, yellow- tooth filled mouths at us.  Simon had given me the keys to unlock the padlock at the fences; however, I wasn’t feeling like getting out and wrestling these two freaks of nature to get in.  As they started to labor towards the trucks, I gunned the engine and pushed them back up against the fence and pinned them there.  I was going to get out and finish them off when I heard a half dozen shots bang out.  The creature’s heads exploded as two of Gavin’s buddies had already jumped out and enthusiastically took care of the problem.  Vile, black ooze and gray brain parts dripped off the wire fence and streaked down my windshield.

The men unlocked the gates and ushered the convoy through, then re-secured the gates and locks.  It wouldn’t stop a determined zombie attack for long, but I hoped it wouldn’t have to.  We raced along the road and pulled up in front of the entrance.  The armed men took up positions to provide cover while the technicians tried to get into the structure.   Without electricity, they had to revert to several override combination locks to gain entry.  As we waited, I looked back at the city and could see a bright orange glow on the horizon.  The battle and defense of Braselton was underway.

Simon broke the eerie silence, squawking on the radio like a frightened schoolboy.  I told him we were at the dam and trying to get in and that we would advise him when we were in.   I sensed that he didn’t want to let go of the contact with us, even if it was over the radio.  The wavering cracks in his voice told me that things were not going well.  I fought the urge to ask him.

“We’re in!” someone shouted behind me.

––-

Stampley walked along behind the thousands of his kind as they moved on the city dwellers.  He couldn’t see over all of them and had lost control of the hordes as they went into a frenzy, hearing the sounds of gunfire and other human activity.  The sounds of food drove them on a bloodlust.

Without warning, a huge wall of flames shot up in front of the advancing army of undead.  Hundreds were in the midst of the fuel-soaked ground when the fires were ignited, causing brief recoil in the forward movement.  Stampley couldn’t see what was on fire, but the howls of those burning told him that the humans had not been crushed yet.  The mass of skin and bones backed up, and he cursed at them in zombie speak and pushed some of them forth.  The surge began again as the flames died down.  Several hundred undead dead had reached the street in front of the school, but the humans had shielded themselves from view.  Confused by the lack of the meal they had expected, shying away from the flames, they moved east along the pavement.  

The curbs caused many to stumble and become trapped underfoot of the encroaching mobs.  Obstacles like cars and trucks and light poles and fences and other obstructions made movement more difficult.  The flow of the decaying bodies funneled, tightly packed onto the street.  The sound of the human commanders alerted them to where the humans were and as the crowded streetwalkers turned them were showered with gasoline from the fire trucks.  

Ray Ruddigg fired the flare pistol, aiming for the center of the packed street and had to cover his eyes briefly as the fuel exploded in front of him.  Reloading the cold-war era East German flare pistol with a green parachute flare, Ray fired again, signaling the defenders to start the combat against the Zs.  It was also a signal for the fire trucks to hose the crowd of flesh eaters again, sweeping back and forth over the smoking mass of bones, rags and pale skin.

The fire trucks had the range to send gasoline over a hundred yards, dousing thousands of the monstrous beings.  A collective hiss emanated from the burning heap of former humanity as they cooked and melted under the intense blaze.  Shooters from every rooftop and window facing the street opened up, targeting any X-human not already on fire.  The front ranks of the enemy, thirty and more deep, tried to turn back to the safety they had known.  But their blackened, oily blood carried the flames, quickly consuming their frail bodies.

Stampley recoiled in a rage, not for the cunning of the prey, but for the cowardice of his wretched army.  They were backing away from the fight, running from the enemy.  They refused his orders, ignored his planned defeat of the humans.  In their retreat, he was swept up in the movement, carried back toward the berms, even though he battled to maintain his ground.

Half of the riotous mob had trudged off to the east, following the plow roads instead of having to trek back through the snow and mud.  They seemed to recognize the fences too and stayed clear.  Their march turned them to the river and the dam.

Stampley ranted and howled at the mob around him, finally getting them to slow down or stop.  He convinced them that food was still available and that it only waited to be conquered and taken.  A rumble or grunts and moans raced through the congregation and soon they were turned, ambling, stumbling and limping toward the school.  There were enough of his kind past the berms and fence that Stampley knew the power was down, and that he too, could now safely cross into the human sector.  Others now barked orders to the growing pack, encouraging them to push straight at the school and dorm buildings.

––-

Thousands of the ghouls staggered into rifle range and Ray Vogel ordered his men to take out any targets they felt they could reach as far away from the occupied areas as possible.  Men were already shooting, but not aiming the precise, accurate shots Ray wanted.  Blowing the arms off a zombie or spilling its guts out with a low shot would not kill them.  “Aim for their heads!” he shouted.  Some of his senior team leaders moved up and down the lines, trying to keep the men and women under control.  Fear was clearly evident and with good reason, they were outnumbered four, five or maybe six to one.  “Calm down everyone, they aren’t shooting back.  Make your shots count and let’s kick some zombie ass.” Ray shouted, watching some smiles crack on the shooter’s faces.

He knelt down next to a young, black, boy, no more than 14.  “What’s you’re name, son?” he asked evenly.

“Gerall, sir” the boy answered.  Ray already knew the boy’s name and his mother’s.  She worked in the day care and was one of the most popular ladies there.  Gerall was the fourth of six children, but the only one to have survived since the outbreak.  He knew Gerall’s mother spent so much time in the day care, around the kids, to make up for her losses.  

“OK, Gerall, can you do me a favor?” Ray asked.  

“Yes, Sir” the boy fired back, turning to look at Ray’s face.

“I’d like you to see if you can shoot the blue barrel sitting out next to the light pole there.” Ray said, pointing to it.

“No problem.” Gerall quipped.  He turned and aimed in on the barrel with his scoped, bolt-action rifle.  He bucked under the recoil and Ray watched the round splash into the dirt about 3 feet short.  Gerall’s head dropped, embarrassed.

“Nice shot, Gerall.  But you forgot to adjust for our elevation didn’t you?” Ray asked, smiling at the boy to keep his confidence up.  Gerall beamed and set his face back to the stock, re-acquiring the scope picture and then squeezed the trigger.  The bullet smacked the blue barrel with enough force to cause amber liquid to spout out of the small opening in the top and through the entrance hole.  But there was nothing spectacular about the shot as far as Gerall could see.  Quizzically, he looked up at Ray.  “Very good.” Ray commended him.  “Keep watching.” Ray smiled.  Zombie had encircled the light pole and barrel as they pushed forward.  The gasoline emptied from the barrel and started to flow away, toward the glowing remains of some burnt tires.   “Now, Gerall, I want you to watch the gas as it flows and when it gets close to that tire, shoot the tire.  A few sparks is all we’ll need.  You understand?”  Ray finished.

“Yes, sir.” Gerall responded enthusiastically.  Ray walked away to check the rest of the line.  When he was about fifty feet down the line, he heard a tremendous explosion as Gerall’s round ignited the half-filled barrel.  Without stopping, he glanced back over his shoulder and watched the top half of the barrel rocket into the sky and arc over the zombie marchers.  When it hit, the remaining liquid splashed out and set fire to dozens more of the hungry creatures.

––-

Once inside the dam proper, I was stunned by the enormity of the structure.  And that was only the view provided by our flashlights and a few small LED lights near doorways and tunnels entrances.  We split into two groups, one element taking the engineers to the control room, and the rest of us working our way to the tunnels that would carry us to the inlet areas.  Simon had told us that the only scenario he could think of to lose all power was from the water to stop flowing or someone shutting all the switches down.  The latter seemed quite unlikely.

The place was spooky, to say the least.  This was a perfect place for zombies to plan an ambush, if they had gained access, and if they thought of such things.  Every sound echoed throughout the solid concrete tunnels and shafts.   Even the creaks and moans of the turbines as they cooled created a series of eerie sounds that carried along the walkways.  Using the FRS radios turned out to be a useless effort, they just couldn’t penetrate the thick walls.  Throughout the complex there was an intercom system, but that too provided no joy, without power they didn’t work either.  We were on our own until we got outside and could use our radios that would be within line of sight to the control room overlooking the rear of the dam.

We descended the sloped floor leading us deeper into the bowels of the dam.  We had to go down, before we could go up to the inlets.  Midway down the long tunnel, I got my first sign that we weren’t alone here.  The stench of the rotting but still walking dead permeated the damp air.  There hadn’t been any other sign of them yet, but I knew they were here with us.  That meant that somewhere in the structure there was an unsecured door.

Using an occasional blip of light to check ahead of us, we proceeded on until we reached the base of the sloped walkway.  The hall split into three separate and narrower tunnel-like hallways, one hall leading to each the left and right and one straight ahead.  We split into three groups, Ollie going with Gavin and two other men to the left.  Berne went with Jimmy and two men straight ahead and Annie and I with two men to the right.  The walls of each hall were striped in different colors which I’m sure had some significance had we been given the information.  I assumed that each tunnel lead to on of the inlets for one of the turbines, so each team had a similar mission.

Going fast seemed the right thing to do to get the power back up sooner, yet, none of us was anxious to run into an overwhelming number of zombies in the bowels of the dam.  That would do no one any good.    Our concrete tunnel wound around to the right and then opened up into a larger room.  The echoes of our footsteps reverberated off the walls making it hard to hear anything else.  The muffled sound of several gunshots rumbled behind us and we froze to listen.  The shots stopped and I prayed that it meant the Zs were neutralized and not that the team had been overrun and devoured.  

I blipped the light on the fore end of my carbine and saw three doors ahead.  We would have to get closer to read the signs posted next to each one.  Annie slid forward and cupped her hand around a small Streamlight Nanolight.  The little 10-lumen bulb lit up the entire room and I noticed black streaks and spots on the floor.  Zs had been here, or were still here, waiting in silent ambush behind one or more of the doors.  One of the men with us flipped on his flashlight, totally illuminating the room but also ruining all of our night vision.  The growl from beyond the door let us know the enemy was now fully aware of our presence.  Our element of surprise gone; I figured we might as well use the lights and pick up our speed.  I only hoped that we weren’t facing an insurmountable number of blood-hungry ghouls.

“One light at a time unless we make contact.” I said.  “We conserve our batteries.”  I added.  I looked around and saw everyone nod in agreement.  I nodded to our torchbearer, more or less giving him the lead.  Uncomfortably, he reached for the first doorknob and twisted it.  It was locked, a pretty good sign that the Zs in that room were from the dam crew and that they hadn’t come from outside.  He tried the next knob and as he turned the handle, the door burst open and out spilled a half a dozen of the rotting, stinking killers.  The flashlight holder was swept up in their arms and gnashing teeth before he could react, but was in my line of fire, so I couldn’t shoot to save him.  His flashlight bounced across the floor, splashing the room with beams of scattered light before it came to rest against the far wall.  The beam pointed at the wall and made a bright semi-circle of light that did little to illuminate the rest of the room.

The man went down, screaming as the ghouls tore into him.  His friend fired first, ending the agony.  Even dead from the bullet in the head, his warm body enticed the Zs to feast on him.  The three of us stepped back and fired on the feeding group.  I flipped on the fore end light and saw the area beyond the door was packed with more zombies, struggling to get in on the feast.  I aimed high and slapped the trigger, going through an entire magazine and dropping as many as I could.  “Hold your fire!” I shouted and jumped over the dead pile and tried to slam the door shut.  I didn’t want anymore of these monsters to be running loose in the complex.  Pushing hard, I fought against the hands and arms and bodies fighting to get at us.  Annie and the other shooter shouldered into the door and with their added weight we got it shut.

“Shall we see what’s behind door number 3?” Annie asked.  I knew we had to, but I was more than sure that the middle door was the one that was going to lead us to the inlet tube access we sought.  None of the Zs we had just encountered were wearing lab coats or clothing that appeared to belong to the staff at the dam.  It was a good bet that these creatures hadn’t been residing in the dam without being discovered before now.

“We can check it.  Maybe it will cross over to the other hallway farther up.  I’m afraid though we’re going to have to go through the crowd to get to the tube.” I responded.  With the number of Zs we had just seen already in the building, speed was more critical than stealth now.  Annie and I turned on the lights mounted to our carbines.  Barry, our companion, had only a cheap handheld light he had liberated from a hardware store.  He was going to have a hard time manipulating the light and the pump shotgun he carried if we got into an extended shootout.

I cracked open the third door, blocking it with my foot in case another rush came.  The hallway was empty as far as the light carried and we stepped through the doorframe.  I debated blocking the door open so we could get back through if need be, but then figured I could shoot the lock off if we needed and decided that it was better to have the barrier to our back to avoid surprises.  We moved quickly since there were no intersecting doors or hallways ahead for the first hundreds yards.

We reached the end of the hall when it came to a T.  The signs on the walls indicated the turbine hall was to our right and the inlet access to our left.  It was good to know we could make a straight run to the larger turbine area if we got in trouble.  The door to our left had a small security glass window on it and the interior side was smudged with black ooze and goo.  No ugly faces pressed up to check us out and so I peeked in.  I couldn’t make out anything on the other side because the light reflected off the glass too much.  That meant we were going to have to go in.  I tried the door handle, a lever type, and found it was locked.  Barry had a ring of keys that Simon had given us and fumbled around trying several before he unlocked the door.

“Wait here, I’ll check it out.” I said.  I shouldered the carbine and nodded for Barry to yank the door open.  The smell immediately made me gag.  I scanned the room and found only a single desiccated body shriveled in the corner.  His blue lab coat told me he was a worker here once and had somehow been infected and must have starved to a second death alone.  Annie and Barry moved past as I checked on the man.  When they had pushed through the room I turned to follow.

We moved down the long hallway at a steady but safe pace into the darkness.

excellent chapter. Im glad the big battle has begun. The anticipation was too much lol.

excellent chapter. Im glad the big battle has begun. The anticipation was too much lol.

good chapter

Hell yeah! Good stuff


You should be proud of your writing

thanks for a great chapter again.

How did I miss such a great read.

I'm really glad I found this.

Thanks for giving us another chapter so soon!  I'm loving this story, post more as soon as you can!

+1

MORE MORE MORE!!!!!

Chapter 18
The Caverns

Barry wasn’t comfortable leading the way.  But I was tired and needed a break because poking around in the dark with things wanting to kill you is stressful.  My eyes were strained from trying to focus up ahead with only the light of a flashlight beam.  He stepped cautiously, really slowing our pace.  Annie volunteered to take the front but I refused to allow it.  Call it chauvinism or love or just being over protective, but this was a job she wasn’t built for.  I had no reservations about her abilities with a gun or a knife but if we ran into a large force of zombies, she didn’t have the physical size to push them back.  Besides, her use of the carbine would be more valuable if that happened and I knew I wouldn’t have to check my back if she was there.  Barry however, was showing signs of cracking, he was freaking out, and I couldn’t take the chance that he would run off.

We had gone another hundred yards when we came to another intersection.  This one went straight and left.  I figured we had to make the left turn to get us back in line with the main hallway.  The signs on the walls were gone, replaced with black smears and streaks.  We went left, again using all our lights and soon found body parts and black slime trails leading away from us.  It was fresh enough to still be dripping down the walls and sticky underfoot.

Annie was trying to remain calm but I could see she was getting nervous, and I couldn’t blame her.  This place was claustrophobic and eerie enough I guessed even with the lights on, but inching our way around with only the shine of our flashlights, with an unknown number of killers close by was downright scary.  I know there would be those that would scoff at such ideas but they weren’t here backing us up or leading the way.  Yes, we had guns and knives and could move quicker than the enemy, but we were confined to the cold concrete walls and were at least a hundred feet underground, or in this case, under water.  This is not the place I wanted to die and I was more than certain that neither Annie nor Barry did either.

I called a stop and knelt down, turning off the light.  Barry and Annie sidled up next to me and took a knee as well, dousing their lights.  “What’s up?” Annie asked, with the slightest tremble in her voice betraying her cool exterior persona.  

“I want to check our position and I have an ear bud that will amplify sound.  So maybe we can hear the Zs before they hear or see us coming.” I told her in a whisper.  I dug through my vest and found the earpiece.  It was a cheap, ten-dollar deal that I picked up at Wal-Mart years ago.  I hoped that the batteries still worked, I had completely forgotten about this gizmo until this moment.  I’d never used it except to load the batteries and see that it functioned.  It was one of those impulse purchases we all made when such conveniences were so commonplace and available.  I’d never considered it a real, serious tool and thus had forgotten about it.

Slipping the loop over my ear, I clicked over the little switch.  A high-pitched whine and lots of shushing background noise assaulted my eardrum.  Turning the volume down let me hear myself breathing as well as Annie and Barry.  I cocked my head and listened, there seemed to be a bunch of low toned noise coming from up ahead.  There was no way to tell distance though and I decided the toy was more a liability than any real help.  Barry asked if he could try it before I tossed the thing in my pack.  I handed it to him and he reported hear growls and thought it might be a good time to turn around and find another route.  Nice try Barry.  

I pulled a pack of spare CR123 batteries out of my pocket and handed some to Annie.  Barry’s light ran on C batteries and I couldn’t help him out, just hoping he had brought some.  We exchanged batteries in the fore end lights and held onto the used ones just in case.  Barry meantime was shining his light down the long hallway where the weakened, yellow beam barely lit up the ground 20 feet in front of us.  

My guess was that we were directly under the back wall of the dam and had to be close to the access.  The cave-like tunnel lead slightly to the left and when it straightened back out we came face to face with a mob of grumbling ghouls and foul-mouthed savages.  Before we could shut the lights down, they turned and the howls began.

There was no need to be quiet, kind or gentle now, and I brought the carbine up and started to fire.  I had half a magazine gone before the boom of Barry’s shotgun bellowed beside me.  I finished the mag and noticed that Annie was cranking off rounds methodically.  Her breathing was racing but I didn’t have time to try and calm her as I changed mags and continued to fire.  A dozen or more Zs went down right away but they were still coming from as far as my light would cast its beam.  We were losing ground.

“Shoot and step back.  Shoot and step back.” I called out.  I double-tapped an ugly old man and then took a pace back.  Annie did likewise, dropping a blonde haired girl.  Barry fired once and then his weapon went dry.  He stepped back, but in his panic had failed to reload.  He brought the weapon up and pulled the trigger with only a click coming from it.  He dropped to a knee and dug into a pouch on his hip for more shells.  I fired again and started to step back when I was struck from behind.  

It wasn’t a very hard blow, but enough to get my attention and realize that we weren’t alone.  I had failed one of the rules of my training, to check behind me for threats.  Annie shrieked, Barry stopped what he was doing to look and suddenly we were within spitting distance to the mob out front.  I had also failed to make sure my enemy was dead before leaving him.  The dam technician I’d checked and pronounced dead, wasn’t.  I swung around to swat him away when he locked onto my free arm.  I swung him around and tried to adjust his attitude with a wall stun but he fell backward, pulling me down too.  I heard Annie scream again.  “KEEP SHOOTING!” was all I managed to get out before the scrawny dude under me seized his bony hand on my throat.

Barry managed to get a round off.  Annie resumed firing but I had no way to know how successful she was.  I heard another dozen rounds blast behind me as I fought with the little zombie.  He was stronger than I could have imagined given his appearance.  Annie was nearly standing over me now and shined the light over the Z and me.  I grabbed his throat in my right hand and felt the carbine slap me in the side of the head as I let go of it.  I saw stars for a moment.  I grabbed for the SRK and felt the rubber handle.  I drew the knife and at the same time tried to pull the Z to his feet.  I wanted to get some distance from the crowd, which I could hear clearly.

Barry’s shotgun boomed a couple more times and then he rushed past us, knocking me back to the hard floor.  I looked to the right to check on Annie and she was staring at me.  “GO.  GET OUT OF HERE!” I screamed.  

“NO, NO.” she yelled back and then she brought her hands up and gasped.

I’d taken my eyes off the Z too long and felt the pain as his nasty teeth clamped into my arm.  His head started to pull back, to rip a chunk of my arm meat away, but I pushed forward with his movement and attempted to put my forearm across his throat.  I felt the skin tearing and heard Annie gasping and crying.  “BARRY!  GET HER OUT OF HERE!” I shouted.  He started back and Annie tried to bring her carbine up to threaten him away but I pulled the barrel down.  “You have to go. Now” I said as calmly as I could.
She was shaking her head back and forth and sobbing.  She knew.  “I Love You.” She cried out.

But she wasn’t moving and Barry grabbed her around the waist from behind and backed away.  Her carbine clattered to the floor.  “I Love you too” I managed to get out as Barry dragged her around the bend in the hall.  I stood up, pulling the Z upright with me and pinned him against the wall and slammed my arm hard against his throat.  I saw more of them approaching from the corner of my vision and didn’t have time to waste.  I jammed the point of the SRK into his left eye socket and thrust it upward, instantly feeling the pressure of his bite ease up.  As he collapsed, his teeth clamped shut and the momentum tore a golf ball size chunk of flesh from my arm.

I jumped back for distance and from the pain and grabbed for Annie’s carbine.  My own dangled from the sling around my neck.  I fired on the closest demons as quick as I could, exploding their heads and bodies onto their mates behind them.  I fired and stepped back, fired and retreated one step at a time.  They continued to push forward and I was relieved that I could no longer hear Annie screaming my name, but wondering if she and Barry had made it safely back through the warren of cave-like tunnels.  

When the weapon went dry, the Zs were close enough to touch and I used the carbine like a club, not having enough time to reload or switch to my own rifle.  I butt-stroked a big, redheaded kid in the face, dropping him temporarily to the floor and causing a momentary blockade to one side of the hall.  Swinging the little carbine the opposite direction I caught a strapping black man in the shoulder and watched as it only bounced off him with no reaction.  I’d lost grip with one hand and several outstretched zombie arms grabbed for the carbine wrenching it from my control.  At least they couldn’t shoot back at me.

The unfriendly crowd was still coming and I delivered a vicious front kick to the next closest ghoul, a snarling, hag with no clothes and only one arm.  She plopped back into the crowd and I fell back, rolling painfully away from them.  The small butt pack I was using for extra ammo was like bouncing over a jagged rock the size of a football.  I recovered to my feet in time to feel a searing row of scratches across my neck and chin from a slender, blonde haired witch with black fingernails and metal rings protruding from her lips and nose.  I backhanded her and felt her bony face on the bones in my wrist.  These little injuries were starting to really piss me off and I jumped at her before she could stand straight, punching her solidly in the side of neck.  I was so happy to hear it snap I almost laughed aloud.

I had room and time now, and shouldered my carbine and squeezed off several rounds, dropping the front row of gray-face scum.  I reloaded and fired again, illuminating each target and aiming for kill shots.  The pack thinned and I stepped forward, firing as I moved.  They dropped before me and I was able to see beyond their bobbing heads for the first time.  The door to the inlet access was there; open, with only the faintest glow of moonlight casting through the frame.  I finished off the last of the zombie vermin from inside the building and cautiously sidestepped up to the door, ready to shoot if another repulsive creature appeared.

I moved through the doorway with purpose, not fearing the fatal funnel from a bullet, but still the restricted area was a zombie advantage.  Outside the door, I was surprised to find a terrace of grass surrounded by a chain link fence.  A gate in the fence was open and thirty yards beyond was the river.

A metal catwalk extended out to a large circular water drop inlet, ringed with metal planking and a chain handrail.  For all I knew about dams, this looked to be the inlet that was so important.  I approached and could hear moans and snarling. Just as I was about to peer over the edge a wet hand slapped onto the concrete rim, followed by another.  I aimed in between them and waited, shining the powerful light beam into the void.  A rotted and battered face of one of the flesh-starved monsters poked up as he tried to climb out.  I fired and splattered the contents of his head back into the inlet.

A chorus of grunts and growls quickly followed and more hands grabbed onto the rim.  I stepped over and looked in using the fore end light.  What I saw was disturbing and disgusting.  A pile of fetid corpses thrashed around in the man-made pit.  Dismembered parts of many bodies floated and bobbed in a stew of ex-human remains, splashed through by the flailing arms of those bodies whole enough to be trying to pull themselves out.  The shooting, the screams, the shouts or even the smell of live humans seemed to have enraged them and they fought to remove their putrid carcasses from the inlet.  

I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to clear this mess out and get the water flowing again.  There had to be another spot, perhaps at the lower end of the tube, where the bodies had plugged it that would be easier to open.  From what Simon had told us in the briefing, this tube and the other two like it above the other turbines was as tall as a silo.  I couldn’t imagine how many rotting, and still somewhat alive corpses it took to stop the water flow.  It was staggering to think about.

Since I was outside now, I tried the walkie-talkie.  At first it was static and no one answered my calls.  But then, Simon came on and asked quite pointedly about my progress.  ‘I’m OK too, Simon’ I thought to myself, since he hadn’t bothered to ask.  I told him what I was seeing and he didn’t seem impressed or worried.  He told me to stand by and wait for further instructions.

When Ray chimed in things sounded a bit different.  He told me they were losing the battle and that the power needed to get back on line soon.  He wasn’t sure, he said, that they could hold out even then.  Hundreds of city dwellers had already been killed.  Hundreds more had been injured, some having turned quickly and been put down.  They were in a final defensive formation in the school, command center and two of the residential buildings.  Everything else had been overrun.

I asked if he had contact with the other two teams and he reported I was the first to check in or be heard from.  My guts tightened, thinking the worst.  I vowed that if Simon didn’t hurry up, I was going to go find Annie and then the others.  That made me remember the bite.  Not that the pain had gone unnoticed, just that I hadn’t treated it or had a chance to even look at it.  

My sleeve was soaked through with red and black.  My blood, I hoped was still red.  The fabric was stuck to the wound, burning as I pulled it free.  I rolled the sleeve back and found a huge hole in my arm, muscles and tissue ragged and seeping blood.  At least no major veins or artery had been severed but I could tell that I had lost some control and function of my hand.  From the swelling or the pain or nerve damage I wasn’t sure, but opening and closing my hand was difficult and becoming harder to do.  I’d seen people turn before and remembered they complained of the pain as muscles tightened and blood boiled to the black slime we were all so familiar with.  I wondered if these were the first symptoms for me as well.  How long do I have?  I wondered.  How long had it been since I’d been bitten?  I didn’t know and also didn’t know how long or agonizing this transformation was going to be.  While I could still think and move and act, I had to get the inlet cleared so the other teams had a chance to re-start the turbine and get power restored.

There had to be something I could use to dislodge the clogged bodies in the tube.  A gallon of gas would make a nice explosion but there was none to be had.  I looked around and spotted a fire extinguisher.  It was pressurized.  Maybe it would work.  I grabbed it and lugged it out to the tube.   Tossing it in, I saw that it only landed on top of a few bodies and wouldn’t do much good like that.  I needed to push it down.  Frantically, I searched for something to use as a pole.  Nothing jumped out and I ran back to the door, grabbing the fence on my way and almost falling.  The gripping strength in my hand was fading fast.

That’s when it dawned on me.  The top rail to the fence was a galvanized pipe, about one and half inches in diameter.  The section closest to the gate was nearly ten feet long.  Unbolting it would take too long.  I stepped back and aimed in with the rifle, craning off a couple rounds before I finally hit the pipe.  The bullet careened off with a whistle, making only a dent in the tube.  I concentrated on the fitting toward the end.  It appeared to be cast aluminum and I knew it couldn’t take the bullet impact without shattering.  After half a dozen rounds, I had splintered the bracket off the end.  Pulling on the bar, I yanked it out of line with the fence and slid it out of the remaining brackets.

Using the pole, I pushed the extinguisher down until I could only see the nozzle end.  I moved around the edge of the down tube so I wasn’t in line with the expected spray.  I took aim after getting as low to the ground as possible and fired.  The explosion was muffled and I was showered with putrid water and bits of zombie.  I peeked over the edge and saw the water sucking down into the tube but then more body parts quickly seized the flow back up again.  I had the right idea, just not enough boom.

Racing back into the building, I searched for more extinguishers and anything else that I could use.  I heard a crackle on the radio, but realized I was too far inside for the reception to be audible.  Deciding it was better to get the stuff I needed while I had time, I found two more full sized extinguishers.  Hauling them both outside at once proved to be harder than it should have been.  My hand and arm was cramping and so was my stomach.

I tossed the sprayers into the water pit. Then I dug into my pockets and found a rubber glove and wrapped it around the end of the pipe, securing it with a zip tie.  The extinguishers were concave on the bottom, perfect for pushing them into the ex-human soup.  I pushed one down to the extent of my reach and then followed it with the other.  When I felt them clink together, I angled the pipe over to the rim.  I hoped the rubber glove held and kept the tubular pipe from filling with water.  Sticking the barrel of the carbine into the pipe, I looked away and pulled the trigger.

The resulting thump could be felt through the pipe.  I was still holding it as I started to get up to check my progress, when I was nearly pulled in.  The explosion or concussion had dislodged the blockage and the rush of water was amazing to say the least.  Like a cyclone, water swirled and dropped, pulled everything in the tube down in a flash.  The river raced over the edges of the rim, now without any obstructions, it created a thunder and I could feel the air around me rushing in too.  The vacuum was amazing and again I tried to calculate how many Zs it must have taken to stop this force.

Exhausted, I rolled over onto my back and fished the radio out of my pocket.  “Simon, can you hear me?” I asked.  No answer came and I repeated the call.  Still nothing.  I feared my efforts were in vain and too late to save the city.

“Mr. Ruddigg, are you there?” I heard faintly.  I fumbled with the radio, trying to turn up the volume.  

“I’m here.  I’m here.  I have water flowing in inlet #3.  Where is everyone else?” I replied and asked.  It wasn’t Simon’s voice answering me, but the man was excited.  I could hear shouts in the background when he spoke.  The team had made it to the control room, he said, and was reporting they were close to getting one turbine on line soon.  “And the other teams?” I asked, perturbed that he had neglected to mention them.  

“No news, Sir.  Sorry.” Came his defeated reply.

damn good chapter!!

Been following along, but you gotta finish this up, the suspense is killing me!

Real good read.

I find myself hoping that this is a happy ending story....


It would be good either way, but now that I've grown so attached to certain people I would prefer they live!

Good read, and KEEP IT UP!!!!!

Damn he got bit! I thought the hero never dies Good stuff keep going

we. want. MOAR!

this. good chapter

I have a question. Are you writing these out and then posting them or are you just posting them when you have free time. Either way they are great. thanks for putting it out there. It sucks that the guy is bit but i know it will all end well.

need moar...

he had the first two books written out as far as I know. He posts the chapters when he gets the time to, and we are all very grateful lol.

If you remember earlier, one of the security team guys got bitten, but didnt turn. Im hoping it will be the same way here.

Im still hoping his friends from earlier in the series will show up.

Thanks for more, so soon!  This is awesome!

But holy crap!  What a horrible development!  Sad.......................or maybe the one that bit him wasn't really a Zed.............what in "World War Z" are referred to as "quislings".......gone crazy, think they're Zeds, but they're not...............hopefully?  Somethin' like that?

Vern's come to far to go down like that!

Another great chapter. I hope Vern is ok, or takes the head zombie out with him.

OK fast45........... enough of the cliff hanging ................... just finish posting the rest of the story .......... I'm sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the next installment!!!

Another great update keep it up!

AKASL

LIVE ZOMBIE FREE OR DIE

Chapter 19
Man Down

The hallway leading to the second turbine water inlet was crowded with the search team and zombies.  The battle was loud and close, bodies and parts of bodies littered the cool concrete floors and walls.  Both sides had sustained loses, but the zombie force had been gutted and destroyed.  Much like the situation at #3, the overflow of zombies coming from the river had reached land and used their combined strength and numbers to rupture the fences and make their way into the building.  The doors on the terraces had not been locked, there had never been the need, the thinking was that the area was unreachable and thus secure.

The battle had raged on and was just finished when Annie and Barry arrived, drawn to the sound of the gunfire.  Annie sought out Berne and told him what had happened.  Devastated, he slumped against the wall and slid to his seat.  “I was so involved here, I never felt it could happen.  I hadn’t even considered it.  I’m so, so sorry Annie.” He offered and reached a hand out to her.  She grabbed onto it and her brother-in-law pulled her down to him and wrapped his strong arm around her shoulders.  Annie finally broke down and buried her face into his chest, sobbing.

––––

Ray Ruddigg and Ray Vogel scanned the area below the windows with despair.  The carnage was awful.  The flow of the undead seemed never-ending.  Their best tactics had done nothing but slow the initial advance elements of the assault.  The defense was active all around the men, from every open window and door.  From every balcony and elevated perch, the remaining defenders fired on any zombie lucky enough to get past the final blockade of trucks and semi-trailers ringing the command center and residential buildings.

Many of the city residents had panicked and fled, running south into the dark, powerless city and beyond.  All that remained were several hundred loyal security force members and a few engineers and others that had stayed, banking their hopes on the dam’s power being reconstituted.  Ray Vogel wondered if he and the others should have left before now too, chancing the open streets and countryside outside the city limits.  It was too late now though, as the buildings were completely surrounded.  He thought too that even should the power come back on, the zombies, these ex-humans, were not likely to turn and flee, not with more fresh blood and flesh so close now.

Ray Ruddigg called to the shooter on the roof armed with the .50 caliber Barrett rifles.  The big gun had been used to great affect exploding the pre-positioned fuel barrels around the perimeter.  The last barrel was to his left and Ray watched through binoculars as a very animated zombie leader stood atop the blue plastic drum.  At least, taking as many as possible might help some other living, breathing human, someplace, sometime.  “270 degrees, distance 250 yards, you see it?” Ruddigg asked over the FRS radio.

“Yes, Sir, I see it.  Piece of cake.” Replied the young man operating the rifle.

The shooter had just finished a string of shots and pulled the empty, ten-round magazine out of the gun.  The previous 10 shots had all been standard 671-grain ball rounds, used against the tightly stacked Zs.  But this next shot was more important.  Lifting the magazine with the green stripe painted on it was surprising.  There were only 3 rounds left.

The copper jacketed 672-grain RAFOUS round was unique.  The blue tip, backed with a silver ring denoted it was something other than target fodder, yet this ammunition was as accurate as all but the best match loads.  Behind the colored tip was stored a quantity of RDX explosive followed by a hardened penetrator.  There wasn’t much, short or dedicated armor plate that could withstand the energy generated in this bullet.  The shooter pushed the magazine into place until he heard and felt it seat, then rapped the bottom to make sure.

Sighting in on he barrel again, he waited for a clear shot.  It would do no good to prematurely detonate the RDX on the fragile shell of a zombie.
 
––––

Stampley stood atop his makeshift soapbox, with almost a smile on his ragged, weather scarred face.  Victory was at hand.  He had tasted the warm flesh of his foe and craved more, but first he made sure that his ravenous hordes stayed on task.  The bloodlust was nearly complete, even more than he had imagined.  His gambit had cost him thousands of supporters, but they had gone so that so many others could “live.”

Bellowing orders, causing shifts in the line of march from his underlings, Stampley guided the attacks.  He wanted to ensure that not a single human would survive.  He stood atop the barrel, viewing the progress.  Bullets whizzed past him and he looked to the windows and balconies at the offenders that dared try to take him down.  They would soon fear, an emotion he would not show them.

––––

Squeezing softly on the trigger the shooter took up what little slack there was in it until he felt the firmness return, telling him he was about to fire.  For a fraction of a second he waited until the barrel was in clear view and squeezed until he felt the buck of the rifle.  The concussion left a metallic taste in his mouth, almost like being bumped in the nose.

The round struck the barrel 3” below the upper edge, guaranteeing that the explosive power would hit the fumed-filled area within the drum.  A lightning bolt bright flash could be seen a millisecond before the contents of the drum ignited in a huge fireball.  Forty gallons of gasoline erupting at once sent a satisfying blast wave all the way back to the shooter, who smiled and rolled away from the rifle as more than a hundred zombies disappeared into a black and gray mist of bone and skin that was quickly swallowed in the orange/yellow inferno.


Ray jumped back as the first bits of dead zombies smacked against the window in front of him.  “Wow!” he exclaimed and couldn’t help but grin.  “I wish we had a few dozen more of those.” He exclaimed, to no one in particular.  Everyone in the room nodded or murmured in agreement.

––––

Berne forced himself to his feet and pulled Annie up with him.  “We have to finish this so that Verne’s actions weren’t in vain.” He told her calmly and with a slight nod, almost forcing her to agree and move.  It was too dangerous to leave her here, now, mourning and susceptible to an unseen zombie.  

Annie drew her pistol; a lightweight FN 5.7 that Verne had given her on her last birthday.  It was perfect for her, light, fast and carrying a lethal load of 20 rounds.  She looked at him and tried to put on a strong front, “Let’s go.”

The rest of the team was out on the terrace, finishing off the last of the soaking wet zombies that had pulled their rotting carcasses from the river in search of a quick meal.  “Do what you can to clear that inlet tube.” Berne called out.  “We’re headed to the control room.” He added and turned back to the building.

“Do you know the way?” Annie asked.

“I marked the walls on the way down.  I can get us back to the turbine hall, should be a no-brainer from there.” He replied.  “But we gotta hurry.”

Following the tunnels, Annie noticed large chalk mark Xs and arrows at each intersection.  They raced along, finding only a couple zombies that had wandered through the complex.  Berne didn’t hesitate on any of them.  He considered what they had done to his twin, and what they were doing to the residents of the city.  Many of the Zs didn’t even have time to turn at the sounds of the approaching pair before Berne gunned them down.

They reached the turbine hall and bullets zinged off the walls above their heads as they ran out of the doorway.  “HEY, stop shooting damn it!” Berne shouted at the jumpy shooter, looking up from the floor where he and Annie had dropped.  The hall was dark and so the shooter was only shooting into the void at any noise he heard.

“Sorry.” Came the weak, apologetic response.  It was probably the youngest person on the teams sent to the dam.  He was scared, that was evident by his bulged eyes and sweaty face when Berne approached.  “Sorry, I didn’t know anyone else was still alive.’ The kid stammered.  

“Well, there is.  No thanks to you.  Where’s the control room?” Berne blurted back.

“I don’t really know.  It’s up there somewhere.” The kid said as he pointed up the metal staircase disappearing into the dark.  “I was told to stay here and guard the back door.” The kid offered sheepishly.  Berne could only shake his head and started up the stairs.

The door at the top opened to another corridor, this one painted brightly in eggshell white.  The sounds of voices and activity ahead and around the corner led them in the right direction.  “Friendlies coming in.” Berne called out to avoid any more jumpy guards.

The control room was already a bustle of activity and lights in amber, red and green flashed and blazed in the panels lining the walls.  Engineers sat at comfy, high-backed chairs throwing switches and turning knobs.  The lights were encouraging.  ‘You have power?” Berne asked.

“Yes, well sort of.  We are on batteries but there is flow in one of the turbines, good job getting that opened up.” One of the engineers commented without looking back.  

“Looks like a second inlet just opened as well.  We are in good shape here, but it is going to take a while.” Another man stated.

“A second inlet?  Which was the first?” Annie asked, enthusiastically.

“Number 3 came on line first.” One of the men answered.  Annie looked to Berne.

“He did it.  He managed to get it open before….” She started to say when she realized the implication.  She’d seen her husband at the entrance to that inlet, fighting for his life.  She’d watched the horrible creature sink its teeth into her man, had seen the blood and the wound.  Everyone knew the consequences of that kind of injury.  Annie went weak in the knees and Berne managed to catch her as she fell to the floor.

––––

When Annie awoke, the bright light stunned her.  The power, whether from the dam or some form of generator, was running the lights and air handlers.  The musty dampness in the air moved around her as she stirred.

Annie was alone in the room, some type of office, and lain out on a sticky leather sofa.  Peeling herself off the furniture she stood up, her head swimming, she grabbed the armrest to steady herself.  Realizing she had fainted, she struggled to remember what last thought had brought on the collapse.  When it hit her, she dropped back to the couch and buried her face in her hands to sob.

After 15 minutes, she rose again, determined to find her husband’s body and give him a respectful burial.  He deserved that much from these people he had helped so much, and given his life trying to do more.  She walked out the door and into a conference room.  That room was empty too and so she moved along, looking for Berne and Ollie.

She found them and many others in the turbine hall watching the big machine come to life, and listening to the tour guide-like speech from one of the engineers.  The mood was gleeful and that angered Annie immediately.  How could these men be celebrating when others, like Verne, were still out there.  “Berne!” she called out above the din.  He turned and when he saw the look on her face, he became somber.  

“What’s wrong?” he asked.  “We did it.  We have power again, isn’t it great?” he continued.  Annie’s stern expression didn’t change.  

“Verne, remember him?  He’s still out there, and he’s been bitten.  Didn’t you remember?” she forced out without screaming.  Berne slowly shook his head.  .

“No.  Oh, Annie, I’m so sorry.” Berne stammered.

Annie told him where she had last seen her husband after he was attacked.  She told him how Barry, she thought that was the guy’s name, had dragged her away.  “I want to go find him, Berne.  No matter what….” She started to say when Berne cut her off.

“I’ll go.  If he’s still alive, you know what I mean, then I don’t want you to be there.  I will bring him back,” Berne promised.  She started to object but he stopped by gently cupping her chin in his hand and stopping her from talking.  “It’s not the way you want to remember him.”  He told her, then pulled her close and hugged her tightly.  

“Gavin, Jimmy”, Berne called out to the knot of men gathered around the turbine.  Both men turned at the same time and saw Berne wave them over.
“We have another mission.” Berne told them and then explained what was needed.

“You game?” he asked, and both men nodded affirmatively.

Love it. thank you again.

moar is a great thing.

AHHH!!!  The friggin suspense!

Good work

Verne is the new Alice right?  From Resident Evil?  She was immune.

great need moar...Is this what a crackhead feels like?

I take it that means you like the story so far

ha ha like it? Fast I am  sure  I am only one of many fans who dont post comments. You are writing a supreme friggin zombie novel!!! Now give the rest before we choke on the suspense

This story is better then drugs, because you can read it and still have money for ammo.

Keep up the good work.

 so true

Sir, you have written an outstanding story and I don't give literary praise often. Your people are human with human frailties and it makes an interesting story. Your twists are also outstanding.

Keep it up and tell us when you are publishing this so I can add it to my library.

Cool, you're readin' this too, eh?  I'm lovin' it.  I think I'll post this in the WAHTF.  fast45 should be writing books.

Thank you fast45, I like where this is goin'!  Don't keep us in suspense too long.

i sincerely agree with about the last ten posts, great stuff... thank you very much, looking forward to more!..

K.

But Verne's gotta survive. He's just gotta!

Or is he the new Stamply?

could be but remember that other dude was bit and he never turned.

This is a damn fine story and very well written.  Thanks for sharing!

Or did he? Maybe they just killed him too fast.

Not bad.  I just found this the other day.  Read until 1 or so last night, and finished this morning (I have no job at the moment).  

Looking forward to the next installment.