If Tomorrow Never Comes- A zombie novel

Chapter 10

The leaves on the trees rustled as the slight breeze danced among them. Despite the current, the air was thick and heavy with the heat of the day. It seemed no matter where you went the sickly sweet stench of trash followed you. With no men or women left to collect the local citizens' trash, it sat festering in trash bags, being cooked under the summer sun.

And the old brick building, the left side covered in green glistening ivy, windows which used to be painted a vibrant white long since discolored to a ashen grey but had still managed to hold onto its shiny red front doors - hadn't fared any better. Green, white, and black trash bags piled and spilled over the four garbage dumpsters onto the ground. Some had even made their way out into the parking lot, animals had rummaged the contents, scraping up little morsels.

Britney surveyed the front of the school through her binoculars. Nothing moved. No guards were at the makeshift check-in station. She scanned the old windows as well, looking for movement, any movement, but there was none.

"It looks deserted." Britney muttered, hesitation staining her voice.

"This is where they were supposed to be taking her but, Britney's right. It looks deserted." Oliver agreed after taking the binoculars and giving the building a once over. 

"I still want to check. There's a chance that she's in there." Max was adamant. They weren't going to change his mind. He checked his gun, the clip and how many bullets it contained - for what seemed like the hundredth time that day - then exited the car. Britney shared a look of trepidation with Oliver before they left the cruiser and followed behind Max.

The humidity hit him in the face and for a moment Max wanted to return to the coolness of the air-conditioned police car. The temperature seemed to have risen at least fifteen degrees since they all had left the apartment. He didn't let it faze him too much, and instead pushed forward towards the building.

Britney and Oliver matched his pace, and they all fell into a straight line, Oliver in the lead, Britney in the middle, and Max following in the back.

"One quick sweep. But if I hear even the slightest sound of one of those dead things, we're done." The petite redhead was serious. She wanted to help Max find his sister, but she wasn't going to run headlong into a fight that she knew she couldn't win.

They both looked at Britney, Oliver nodded in agreement, but Max wanted to protest. He held his tongue though, knowing that these two strangers were possibly risking their very lives just to help him find his sister.

Slowly with guns drawn, they made their way towards the front of the school - stopping at the makeshift guard house. The sound of buzzing flies were unmistakable. They were attracted to all the decaying filth around them, but under the stench of trash was something else - something more putrid.

Oliver took a deep breath before peering inside the guard house; it was empty save for the red drag marks, blood splatter, and chunks of flesh covering the wooden walls, plywood floor, and plexiglas window. He turned away, pressing himself against the wooden boards as the hairs on the back of his neck stood at attention, and his throat quickly filled with bile. He swallowed hard; willing himself not the throw up. Taking another deep breath he whispered, "Doesn't look too good in there."

Britney leaned over Oliver's shoulder to get a good look for herself. "Whew!" The sight took her by surprise. She was a cop, and saw many different crime scenes - some very gruesome - but nothing equaled to what transpired in that little room. "I don't think we're makin' it inside the building."- She quickly wiped at a bead of sweat working its way down her forehead.

-"I'm sorry."

Max gnashed his teeth, jaw tensing and upper lip trembling. This time Max didn't hold his tongue. "We can't just give up! Just because something happened out here doesn't mean the same for the inside."

"I'm sure she's not in there." Oliver said placing a reassuring hand on Max's shoulder - Max angrily shook it off. "You don't know that. I have to see for myself." He took off in a stride towards the back of the school, stopping momentarily to peek into one of the windows.

"You go after him. I'll keep watch." She didn't wait for Oliver's reply as she turned making her way back to the guard station. Getting halfway to her destination Britney added with an after thought; "If I sense that anythin is wrong, I'm comin' in after the two you."

Oliver nodded before turning to follow after Max.

***

Max slowed his progress to the back of the school, the tell tale grunting gave the lurkers away before he laid eyes on them. Two were still dressed in battle fatigues, the female's hair still pulled back in a ponytail holder, with strands of mated and bloodied hair framing its face. The other deceased soldier was male, it was missing the lower part of its jaw, and a jagged boney stump where its left hand had use to be.

The other two lurkers were normal people - once normal - like Max. They seemed in better shape until the heavier set one turned around, exposing the eviscerated abdominal cavity, almost completely eaten out except for a few feet of lower intestines that refused to fall out.

Max quickly and silently made his way over to one of the abandoned cars in the parking lot. Those four dead things stood between him and the back entrance to the school. His hand absently went for his gun, but that was too noisy. It would get the job done but at the cost of attracting even more of them to his location.

The day's heat was starting to get to him, his shirt was sticking to the small of his back and his eyes stung from the constant running of sweat into them. Max blinked trying to concentrate and come up with a plan.

A cool plastic object pressed against Max's back, almost sending him running from his hiding spot among the parked cars. "Thought you could use this." Oliver said ignoring the reaction of his companion as he held out a green canteen. Max took it, placed it to his lips, and took three long gulps of the cold water. It felt good, and he could feel himself cooling off just a bit.

"Anyone ever tell you that sneaking up on people isn't cool?" He handed the canister back to Oliver.

Oliver shrugged; "Sorry, didn't want to chance alerting those things."

"Yeah." Max turned away from him and looked back over at the four shuffling near the back door. "Got any bright ideas"

The soldier reached down to one of his laced boots, working up the bloused jean leg he removed a survival knife. He handed it to Max, before he reached into his tactical belt and revealed a second one.

"We do this fast and quick. Remember, you have to scramble the brain. Aim for the base of the head or the temples."

Max gripped his knife, hands sweaty, but he was ready. They left from the security of the car. Crouched down, they quickly closed the distance between them and the dead. The two men went after the two closest ones first. Max got the one with his insides hanging out, luckily he was slow and Max put him down with a jab to the left temple. Oliver took down the female soldier with a takedown move. Flipping it over him and onto its stomach, where he drove his tactile knife home.

The two remaining made their way towards them. Oliver raised his hand to take down the male soldier but froze. It was on him, its teeth frantically biting at him. He raised his arm, placing his elbow in its throat, preventing it from chewing off his face. Max rammed his knife into the base of the dead soldier's skull and it fell limp into Oliver. The dead weight knocking him off balance and onto the asphalt parking lot.

Max turned around in time to take out the final zombie before helping Oliver push the dead one off of him and back onto his feet.

"What the heck happened?"

"I...I don't... I froze." Oliver turned away from him, running a hand over his close shaven head. "God. I knew him, Max. We were in basic training together. We were in the same company. After dropping you off at quarantine, I was supposed to be stationed here."

Oliver removed his canteen from his tactile belt and took a long drink. "That could have been me." He added, morosely gazing down at the dead body. "That could have been me."

"Just be glad that it wasn't." Max hesitantly looked down at the lifeless corpse, almost gagging at the sight of its jawless face. "Come on. Let's take a look in that school."