Zombie Off - The Beginning Page 2

  “Very good question. The duration varies slightly from person to person, but you can expect at least four hours out of one application. On some of our test subjects it lasted five.”

  Morrow waited patiently for any additional questions. With the crowd now silent, he snapped his fingers. Immediately, a guard appeared from behind one of the other SUV’s carrying a small box.

  “A little something for each of you,” said Morrow, his grin widening. “This is a sample spray can good for one full body application.”

  The guard walked around, giving everyone a single, miniature version of the can Morrow still held in his hand. Connor took his, inspecting it closely.

  “Give it a try. If you like how it works, there’s plenty more where that came from.”

  “And what will it cost us?” came a voice from the crowd.

  “Ahhh. I was waiting for that question. By now you’ve all probably figured that my ZOMBIE OFF comes at a price.”

  Looking around the crowd, he continued.

  “I take only one form of payment, my friends. Gold.”

  The people around him exchanged glances.

  “How much gold do we need for a can?” asked another onlooker.

  “The number of cans you receive will be dependent upon how much gold you bring.”

  Again, the crowd exchanged glance.

  “Now, I’m sure you all are anxious to go out and try out my product. My men will be passing out my business card with a shortwave radio frequency and CB radio channel printed on it. If you like how the ZOMBIE OFF works and are interested in purchasing more, simply contact me. Or, if you prefer, you can come directly to my gates.”

  Turning, he headed for his SUV, three armed guards flanking him closely. When he reached the vehicle, he stopped and addressed the crowd one final time.

  “I look forward to doing business with each and every one of you. Please, feel free to tell your friends if you like my product. There is plenty to go around.”

  As one of his men opened the door, he called out to the visitors.

  “My men will show you out.”

  With that, he closed the door and the SUV drove away. At the guard’s request, everyone returned to their vehicles and headed out of the gate, returning to their respective safe zones with a whole new outlook on the zombie apocalypse.

  Connor sat in his apartment, staring at the small can of ZOMBIE OFF sitting on the coffee table. Monty sat on his lap, enjoying the long strokes of his hand as he contemplated what he had witnessed at the Chemcorp facility.

  He had given up hope for a vaccine or cure long before now, figuring it wouldn’t do much good anyways. You can’t bring them back, and the best a vaccine could do would be to prevent turning if you were bitten. But what Morrow had created . . . this could make a difference.

  Connor reached out and picked up the can, spinning it around in his hand. If this stuff really did work, then it could change everything. Supply runs would no longer be feared. You could actually walk outside of the walls without fear of being attacked.

  Reading the blood red words out loud, he shook his head in amazement. “ZOMBIE OFF.” He paused for a second, looking down at Monty. “This stuff could change the world.”

  Getting up from the couch he headed to the window and looked out over the Schuylkill River. After a few seconds he let out a heavy sigh. Monty had jumped onto the table behind him and sat watching him quizzically.

  “I know what I saw buddy. There’s no way they could have faked it,” he said to the cat. “But I have to know for sure.”

  Stripping off his clothes, he grabbed the can and headed for the bathroom. After a minute, he came out and put on his socks, boots, underwear and shorts. Next, he put on his motorcycle riding gear. Lastly, he slung his katana over his shoulder, threw one of his large hunting knives into his backpack with his other supplies, and headed for the door.

  “Wish me luck, buddy,” he called to Monty as he closed the door behind him.

  Connor headed through the lobby toward the main exit of his apartment building, passing the two old men seated at the game table.

  “What’s new, Seeker?” one called out.

  “Everything,” replied Connor as he walked past and out the door.

  Reaching the sidewalk, he headed for his motorcycle, which was parked along the side of the building. The motorcycle was equipped with two saddlebags and two pieces of luggage that were attached to the sissy bar/luggage rack combo. He used the bike for smaller supply runs that didn’t require the need for carting back large amounts of stuff. Since this was a ZOMBIE OFF test run, he wanted to have the bike for a quick getaway in case something went wrong. Folding up his backpack, he placed it in the larger of the two pieces of luggage.

  Hopping on, he slid his helmet on, fired it up, and headed for the front gate. After quickly signing out, he was on his way. He had thought about where to test the product, and he had decided on a location that had been a trouble spot since the supply runs started - the local Walmart. He needed batteries and bottled water, so he might as well get some supplies while testing it out.

  The ride to the store was short, taking only a few minutes. With the motorcycle he easily avoided any random zombies along the way, and since his bike wasn’t a Harley, it didn’t attract nearly as much attention.

  Pulling into the large parking lot, he killed the engine as he coasted the final 30 yards to the front right corner of the store. Flipping down the kickstand, he dismounted and looked around.

  Cars littered the parking lot of the Super Walmart, one of the largest in the area. Numerous times a supply run team attempted to raid the giant store, and each time they failed.

  When the apocalypse broke out, the store had been full of shoppers. When the apocalypse hit full stride, the store was full of zombies. So many that it made a supply run inside difficult at best. The store was dark and had countless clothes racks and isle displays, not to mention the odd layout of the isles themselves. In the darkness, with so many zombies roaming the store, the risks were proving to be too high.

  When the shit hit the fan, people that stayed inside the store locked and barricaded themselves in, which made accessing the store through the various entrances nearly impossible. As a result, teams couldn’t use the “draw them out” method to clear the store either.

  To get in, you needed to access the roof and go in from the top. The few teams that tried this met with disastrous results once they were inside the store. The sheer numbers of undead were more than they could handle, and most team members were lucky to escape alive.

  Connor stood at the corner of the store, surveying the surroundings. A handful of zombies wandered the parking lot, drawn by the sound and movement of the motorcycle. These would be the perfect first test for the ZOMBIE OFF.

  Taking off his motorcycle gear and pulling out his backpack, he quietly drew his katana and slowly moved away from the bike, watching as the undead moved closer. Standing motionless, his muscles tensed as the zombies closed in, searching for the source of the noise they had heard just minutes before. The closer the undead came, the tighter Connor gripped his sword. Now the zombies were only a few yards away, and all of his instincts screamed for him to kill them. It took every ounce of self-restraint for him to stand his ground, but he forced himself to stay frozen.

  Seconds later, the zombies were there. A dozen undead, wandering and staggering around him as if he didn’t even exist. Slowly, he turned in a circle as he watched the hideous creatures pass just inches away, showing no interest in him whatsoever.

  Gradually, the grip on his sword relaxed, a slight smile crossing his face.

  “Holy shit,” he said to himself. ‘This stuff really works.”

  Slowly, he turned and walked through the roaming group of undead as he made his way to the back of the building. Along the way he passed dozens of zombies, and none of them even turned their head in his wake.

  “Incredible,” he said to himself.

  Moving along the loading docks, Connor came to a semi trailer parked at one of the loading bays. A tall extension ladder leaned against the side of it, with another ladder positioned on top that gained access to the roof. This was how the supply run teams had accessed the store.

  Reaching the ladder, he couldn’t help but notice the blood stains on the rungs, a sobering reminder of the fate of the last team that entered this place. Looking up, he slung the backpack over his shoulder, took a deep breath, and started climbing. A few minutes later he was standing on the roof.

  The quiet crunch of rooftop gravel was the only sound to be heard as he made his way across the open expanse to the small rectangular brick structure on the right side of the roof. A single closed door beckoned as he approached. Halfway there, he passed the decomposing corpses of the previous team members that didn’t make it. Each had a single gunshot to the back of the head, the standard procedure for dealing with the infected. There was no sign of struggle, for each of the unfortunate men and women knew that this was the only option if they were bitten. The surviving team members had an obligation to those unfortunate few. No one is left to rise again.

  Connor never broke stride as he passed the fallen. Their bodies served as a reminder of the dangers that awaited, ZOMBIE OFF or not. Reaching the door, he unslung his backpack and removed the knife, attaching it to his belt. Taking off the sword sheath, he set it on the ground and prepared to go in. He decided to leave the sheath on the roof to avoid accidentally hitting something as he navigated the inside of the darkened building. The backpack he slung over his shoulders in its place.

  Standing at the door, he pressed his ear to the metal, listening for any signs of movement on the other side. Hearing nothing, he grabbed the handle and slowly opened the door, staying behind it, just in case.

  The first team that attempted to loot the giant super store had picked the door lock, and ever since it was left unlocked for any other team that chose to take on the challenge.

  With the door open, Connor waited a few seconds and then headed in. Pulling a small LED flashlight out of his pocket, he turned it on, illuminating the dark stairwell. Shining the light downward, he could see the tiered stairs were clear down to the door at the bottom. Quietly, he made his descent until he was standing at the bottom.

  On the other side of the door was the large back storage room, and from the reports, it was pitch black. Previous teams had managed to thin out the zombies in this area, but there was no telling if others had taken their place in the mean time.

  Turning off the flashlight, he was plunged into total darkness as he slowly opened the door. Emerging from the stairwell, he only took a few steps before stopping and listening.

  Through the darkness, Connor could hear the thump and slide of a zombie as it made its way through the pitch-black room. Seconds later, he was able to make out additional, more subtle noises . . . the slow slide of a shoeless foot . . . the sickening slap of a loose flesh as it hit the hard concrete floor. Connor was not alone.

  He could smell the undead, but couldn’t make out where they were. The stench of death was overwhelming in this room, partly due to the decomposing bodies of the undead that were killed by prior teams.

  Standing motionless in the dark, he listened as the noises echoed around him. The reverberation in the room made it difficult to pin point exactly where the undead were. There was only one way to get through the room safely, and that was to eliminate the zombies.

  Removing the backpack, he set it quietly on the ground and carefully placed the flashlight on top of it in a way that would angle the beam upwards at a 45-degree angle. Gripping the sword tightly, he pressed the button on the back of the light and quickly took a few steps to his right where he stood, frozen.

  Within seconds of the light going on, the sounds picked up, and a moment later the first of the undead appeared around the corner of one of the giant shelving units in the middle of the room. Connor didn’t move as the zombie approached, standing his ground like a statue as the grotesque creature reached the light source, still searching for food. As the zombie wandered about the light, another, more gruesome sight emerged from the shadows. Slowly, the horror made its way forward, dragging a flesh eaten foot behind it as it let forth a hair-raising moan. Watching, Connor steeled his nerves and remained perfectly still.

  One by one the loathsome, terrifying undead materialized from the darkness, some walking, and some crawling. All were visions out of a nightmare. By the time the last of them staggered into the light, there were eight zombies milling around, their ghastly features amplified by the harsh shadows created by the flashlight beam.

  Pulling his knife, Connor remembered the demonstration at the Chemcorp facility. Slowly, calmly, he maneuvered from one zombie to the next, driving his knife into the back of its skull. The process took a few minutes as he kept his actions slow and steady, never making any sudden moves. When all was said and done, eight bodies lay on the floor around the light.

  Grabbing the flashlight, he slung the backpack back onto his shoulder and headed off through the massive storeroom, keeping his eye out for any additional, slow moving zombies. He saw none.

  As he maneuvered through the storeroom, he eventually came upon the large, swinging doors that led to the main store area. Shielding his light, he slowly approached the door and peeked through the glass windows at the store beyond. He couldn’t see a thing through the pitch-black darkness.

  Connor had been to this Walmart before the apocalypse happened, and he knew the layout well. The grocery section of the store was to his right, and he figured he could find what he needed there. Reaching quietly into his bag, he pulled out a handful of long, thin pieces of plastic, and then slung the backpack onto his back.

  Sword in hand, he turned right and started to walk slowly through the darkness. From what he had seen at the Chemcorp complex, the ZOMBIE OFF protected you, even if you came in contact with the undead. As he moved forward, he was banking on it. Slowly, carefully, he continued on through the inky blackness. He could hear the sounds of footsteps as he walked slowly along, but he couldn’t see a thing.

  The more time he spent in the dark, the more focused his hearing became. In his days working outside, Connor had needed to pace off distances by walking. Counting his steps, he was able to estimate approximately where he was within the store. He figured he’d walked about 50 feet when he heard footsteps getting closer.

  Quickly he stopped as the sickening sound grew louder in front of him. Gripping the sword tightly, he held his ground as the staggering zombie approached, the foul stench of its rotting flesh getting stronger by the second. Moments later, he felt the zombie’s body as it bumped into him, pushing him to the side. Remaining frozen, he held his breath as the creature continued on, it’s footsteps slowly fading behind him.

  Numerous times he came in contact with the undead as he made his slow walk across the store. Each time he held his ground, and each time the undead moved on, oblivious to the human in their presence. After four or five minutes of walking, he estimated that he was at the grocery section. This was where things got tricky.

  Connor knew approximately where the items he wanted were located, but in the pitch black, he couldn’t easily find them. He’d need the light, and that would attract zombies. Unless, of course, they were distracted by something else.

  Removing his backpack, he reached in and pulled out the last item he had inside. In his hand he held a small, square travel alarm, about the size of a small cell phone. Quietly he popped it open. The design was such that it opened like a clam, with the display screen flipping out to hold the top lid open. If you pressed on it when it was like this, the small screen lit up with a dim backlight.

  Huddling down near the floor, Connor shielded the alarm and pressed it for light. Quickly he set the alarm for 5 minutes from his current time, and then moved into position. Feeling his way along, he backtracked two isles and waited, counting off in his head. When he reached three and a half minutes, he knelt down and shoved the alarm down the isle as hard as he could.

  The scraping of plastic on tile broke the silence as the alarm slid away. Within seconds he could hear movement as those zombies close enough to hear turned to investigate.

  Calmly he waited, until finally the beeping of the alarm broke the quiet. Without hesitation, Connor took the handful of plastic and bent it in an arc. Instantly the glow necklaces came to life, their neon colors illuminating the darkness. Quickly he tossed the glowing plastic down the aisle in the direction of the alarm, the soft glow instantly visible in the distance.

  Moving slowly away, Connor headed for the grocery isles as the sound of undead footsteps echoed around him. He knew the zombies couldn’t see either, but the sound of the alarm and glow from the glow sticks would definitely keep them moving in that direction for awhile.

  Reaching the grocery section, he counted off another two minutes in his head as he made his way to the far wall of the store. When he finished counting, he covered the end of his flashlight with his fingers, turned it on, and quickly moved down the aisle in search of the items.

  First on his list were batteries, and he quickly located a vertical display at the end of one of the isles. Grabbing every pack, he shoved them quickly into his pack and continued on. A few isles down he found canned vegetables and quickly grabbed eight cans and placed them in the pack. Reaching the bottled water, he loaded up as much as would fit in the bag.

  With the backpack full, he turned and headed back the way he came. To his right he could hear the sounds of items falling from shelves as the zombies ran into things in an effort to reach the noise.

  As he headed down the end isle, he suddenly saw a shadowy form stagger around the corner ahead of him. Seeing the light, the zombie let out a moan and moved quickly forward. Connor didn’t have the time to play hide and seek with this one, so he simply waited. When the zombie closed to within five feet, his blade shot out, driving through the creatures chin and out the top of its skull.