*****
Chapter 10
“Kill her!” Linda shouted but she had already dived across the room and latched onto Justin and her now saw like teeth were sinking deep into her uncle’s shoulder.
“Shoot!” Kent screamed whipping out his gun and firing shot after shot into Tori’s body, the creature wriggled, twisted, jerked but it just wasn’t going down.
“Aarrggghhhh…” The thing that had once been Tori rocked back and they watched as Justin slumped down to the floor blood flowing freely from his shoulder and neck. Kent was still shooting. The longer the illness took to sink in the stronger the zombie was when it turned. That was one reason to hate uncleans, they were always so much harder to kill when they eventually turned.
“Oh gosh!” The mother in the corner had gripped her kids and was hurrying towards the door with them.
“The kid’s turning too!” Linda yelled.
“She’s not!” The mother screamed even as the Dad threw his body in front of the child’s as Linda emptied her pistol in that direction.
“I said give me that key!” Jessell was beside Linda in a second her drawn dagger against Linda’s neck.
“Kent!” Linda yelled but Kent was still firing at Tori who seemed to have decided that she needed to leave the feast that was her uncle and try to stop Kent from interrupting, however slightly, her meal.
“You have two seconds…two!” Ridec turned away his face as he saw the knife dig into the side of Linda’s throat. Would Jessell kill her?
“In my pants pocket!” Linda yelled.
“Get it Ridec,” Jessell ordered.
Ridec fumbled in Linda’s pants pocket and gripped the small key there. His heart was racing, chaos was unfolding around him and he would be required to remain calm enough to un-cuff himself from Linda? He could hardly believe that would be possible.
“We have to get out of here,” Kent yelled even as Tori dropped to the floor just feet away from him but kept crawling on the ground determined to reach her attacker. He saved the last bullet for the base of the skull, finally a clear shot. “This place will be crawling with zombies in minutes.”
“Daddy!” The little girl threw herself down on the dead body of her father and sobbed heartbreakingly.
“Get up, get up, he could turn, you know he was an unclean,” the brother muttered.
“No…” She cried on.
How could they live in this world? Ridec unlocked the cuffs from his wrist with trembling hands and hurried over to the child.
“Ridec!” Jessell was yelling at him but he could see and feel the pain the poor child was going through. Her mind seemed to be stretching to the very limit of despair, to witness her father’s death and then to know that he died trying to save her. Ridec could hear her mental screams…and then there was nothing.
“Oh my gosh!” The words escaped Ridec’s mouth and his hand gripped the shoulder of the child’s mother at the same time she was about to pry the girl from the body of her dead father. “She’s turned!”
“That’s not…” She didn’t get a chance to finish that sentence for the child leapt to her feet her eyes blazing red and her skin a sickly pale color with the hint of orange beneath it.
“No!” The mother and brother backed away and Kent’s reloaded gun was going full force again but this time at the child. She rocked back and then Linda joined in. Ridec watched with sadness as the small body fell to the floor twitching pitifully.
“Aaarrrrgggghhhh….” It was Justin it seemed as if he was starting to come to himself now, but Ridec couldn’t hear any thoughts.
“Let’s get out of here, those things don’t stay down,” Jessell said gripping Ridec’s arm and dragging him along with her.
“You can’t take him!” Linda screamed but her voice was drowned out by Justin’s roar; he was getting to his feet.
“I think we need to save this argument for a safer spot,” Kent yelled.
“We have to go Mom,” the boy was saying.
“I’m tired running.” The mother looked around at the death around her.
“We’ve got to go!” He gripped her hand and started pulling her towards the door.
“Can we help them?” Ridec asked turning to Jessell. This was too sad, too horrifying to bear, kids should never have to live like this.
“We have to go, we’ll be lucky if we can save ourselves.” Jessell was hurrying along to the exit her hand gripping Ridec’s tightly. “Besides, he’s an unclean, they all are, and it’s just a matter of time before he turns like his sister.”
“But…” Ridec couldn’t help but wish there was something they could do. He was the brightest mind that Merland had, surely there was something he could do?
“No Ridec, we have to leave! I’ll be lucky if we can make it back the way I came in with the number of zombies those shots would have drawn here.”
Jessell had just rushed through the exit when they saw them in the distance. There were hundreds of them and they were pressing against the safe house fence, the shots had stirred them up and they had learnt to associate certain noises with food.
Jessell grabbed the air surfer from just outside the door and clipped it under her arm.
“I think it got damaged when I had to toss it over the fence to climb in,” she admitted.
“I can fix it,” Ridec said.
“Maybe, but not right now.”
The chain link fence was wavering as the zombies banged their bodies incessantly against it in the distance.
“They’re fast,” Ridec grunted.
“We’ll just have to be faster. We have to go that way,” Jessell yelled.
“Isn’t this the wrong direction for the sea?” Ridec asked as Jessell raced forward her hand never leaving Ridec’s wrist.
“Right now we can’t worry about direction, we just need to escape,” Jessell said as she tossed the air surfer onto the other side of the fence and then started to climb over. “The zombies are pushing the fence in from the east; we have to climb out here. The sea is big, if we travel far enough we should find another window to it.”
Mermen weren’t accustomed to this level of physical activity but he made up his mind that he would do his best to keep up with Jessell, she had risked everything to find him and he wasn’t going to make her regret it.
‘Bang bang…’ Kent’s gun was firing as he tried his best to slow them down. Justin and the child’s father were coming after them in spite of Kent’s best efforts and in the distance the little girl was starting to emerge from the safe house holding her body awkwardly. Mark and Kate were scrambling up the fence now and climbing down on the other side. The fence was starting to lean and give under their weight.
“I’m running out of ammo,” Kent yelled.
“I’ll try to hold them back; I still have a few rounds,” Linda responded.
“You’ll do better to concentrate on putting some distance between yourselves and those things, you know shots to the front of their heads won’t stop them for long and it will just bring more of them,” Jessell shouted.
“She’s right.” Kent launched himself unto the fence and made the climb over look easy.
“Come Ridec,” Jessell shouted as she jumped from the top of the fence onto the other side and rolled.
“I’m trying.” He felt like a loser, he should have been more like Kent, stronger, better able to fight beside Jessell instead of having to depend on her. Ridec curled his fingers around the wire and hoisted himself up; he had never used so much muscles in his life! If only this world had been filled with water getting over the fence would have been a breeze.
“Help us.” The young boy was struggling to scramble up the fence.
“Here.” Ridec jumped back to the ground, bent down and allowed the boy to stand on his back. “Grab the top of the fence.”
“He’s an unclean.” Kent sounded exasperated.
“Just help him up; this is not the time to argue.” Jessell was scrambling back up on the other side of the fence to help the young child up.
“Give me your hand!” She yelled. She could see the zombies making their way towards them, their walk slow and tortuous.
“Come Mom.” The boy shouted as soon as Jessell had pulled him up and he was hurrying down the other side.
“I’m so tired, Pete,” the mother muttered.
“Come on Ridec. Get your fingers into the holes, I’ll help you up,” Jessell was barking instructions and Ridec knew she was anxious to get him on the other side of the fence. In spite of the wounds Justin seemed to be moving faster now.
“Please Mom,” Pete pleaded.
“Do it for your son,” Ridec encouraged, the woman glanced at him sadly and then gripped the fence with her fingers and started pulling herself up.
“Come on Ridec!” Jessell yelled. “Hurry!” Her voice was high pitched and panicked. She was in no doubt as to the physical prowess of Mermen; he should be trying to climb before the zombies got any closer.
Ridec’s arms gripped the mom and helped her further up the fence. She reached her hand up as soon as she neared the top and Jessell gripped it anxiously and helped her up. The fence leaned forward from the pressure of their combined weights, in a few seconds it probably wouldn’t be anything worth climbing.
“Jump, we have to give Ridec enough time to climb,” Jessell shouted. The mother jumped onto the other side rolling to try to break her fall.
Ridec gripped the fence and started the arduous task of climbing over again. If he ever made it back to Merland he would never complain about hard work again.
The feel of fingers on his shoulder almost made him pass out. Ridec struck back, his arm connecting with Justin’s face and he was relieved when the creature staggered back. That was all he needed, he didn’t waste the opportunity.
“Give me your hand!” Jessell yelled her body perched precariously on the top of the fence and her arm stretching down towards him.
He didn’t take the proffered hand; he would never risk something like that. Jessell might be strong but he was much heavier than she was, if he took her hand he might pull her over the fence. The fence leaned closer into the zombies.
“I told you to give me your hand.” Jessell’s voice sounded frustrated as Ridec pulled himself up the final few feet of the fencing.
“Sorry.” It was pointless trying to explain, she wouldn’t understand. Mermen weren’t the hero types and Mermaids prided themselves on being tough, it just wasn’t worth debating.
“We have to jump, if we try to climb those things are going to grab at us through the holes,” Jessell explained.
“Jump?” Ridec glanced down from the ten foot fence with dismay. This was definitely not the time to hesitate because the fence had already suffered too much from so many people climbing over.
“The key is to land with a squat and roll,” Jessell advised. The words had only just left her mouth and she was already jumping off the fence and demonstrating the technique. She made it look way too easy.
“Come on!” Jessell shouted as the now three zombies started shaking the fence with frustration, their food was escaping.
“I’m coming.” Ridec inhaled a deep breath and then let it out slowly.
“Stop coming and come!” Jessell spared an anxious look across to the main gate where the Zombies seemed to have realized that the humans were on the outside and they were now making their way towards them.
“Here goes.” This was going to hurt, Ridec thought to himself as he threw himself from the top of the fence, struggled to get his footing, failed miserably and twisted his ankle and fell to the ground squirming with pain.
“I told you to land with a squat!” Jessell said accusingly.
“I tried!” Ridec pressed his hand onto the ground and struggled to get to his feet.
“He’s going to keep us back,” Linda muttered.
“He’s our meal ticket, we can’t leave him here,” Kent responded.
“I feel so loved,” Ridec murmured sarcastically.
“Come on, put your arm around my shoulder,” Jessell was already slipping her slender body beneath his arm and snaking her arm around his waist for support; the broken air surfer safely tucked beneath the other arm.
“You can’t manage me,” Ridec protested. “I’m too big for you.”
“Isn’t that what every merman would like to think?” Jessell whispered into his ear and Ridec blushed.
“I’m not kidding Jessell, you can’t run with me.” He couldn’t bear the thought of one of those creatures hurting Jessell.
“I can’t very well run without you, can I?” She gave him a frustrated look.
“Sorry.” This was all his fault, he should never have come to the surface.
“You keep saying that.”
“I’ll take him, I’m stronger,” Kent said.
“Buzz off!” Jessell shot at Kent as she hustled forward with Ridec leaning against her.
One might have assumed that Kent’s response would have been one of annoyance but if anything he seemed to eye Jessell with an even greater level of respect. This was a woman that had no doubt about her strengths, she knew what needed to be done and she was ready to do it.
“Can you move any faster?” Jessell asked and Ridec could see her glance over her shoulder to where the zombies were coming towards them in large numbers.
“How did those things get so fast?” Ridec muttered as he tried to hobble along faster.
“Please let me help, right now we’re all in this together and we need each other to survive,” Kent said. It was strange but in the few minutes he had known Jessell he seemed to have learnt that Jessell was not the sort of person that appreciated favors, she didn’t like the idea of having to repay them. He understood that the way to reason with Jessell was to let her see that he felt it was in the interest of everyone concerned.
“Fine, just don’t get any ideas. As soon as we shake those things I’m taking Ridec and leaving you lot behind.”
“I never imagined differently,” Kent responded smoothly.
Kent put Ridec’s arm about his neck and slipped his body beneath his and soon they were moving much faster. Ridec hated to have to depend on this Kent man, not because he hated to accept help but because he knew that Kent’s offer of help was perhaps more for Jessell’s sake than his, after all, he was a man and he knew how men looked at women they were interested in. Kent was looking at Jessell the way he had been looking at Jessell all these years.
“We’ve got to find a way to get out of their sight!” Kate was shouting.
“I think there is a cave or something near here, if we can make it we can hide in there until they pass or lose interest,” Mark suggested.
“Doesn’t the cave have another exit?” Linda questioned.
“Maybe, I never went that far into it,” Mark admitted.
“There’s always a first time for everything cause something tells me those critters aren’t looking to go anywhere soon, we’re probably the only meal for miles,” Linda said.
***
The sparse woods outside of the safe house offered precious little covering, but they tried to use what little trees there were to conceal themselves from the approaching zombies.
“Where exactly is this cave?” Jessell asked. Ridec knew that even though she didn’t want to admit it carrying his weight was really starting to take a toll on her. He could only imagine how long a night it must have been for her and he had the sickening feeling that the horror of this adventure had only just begun.
“Somewhere near here, maybe another twenty minutes at the most,” Mark explained, everyone was running ahead of them now, the only one trailing at the back was the mother. It seemed to Ridec that this world was one where only the very fit could survive. He found himself wondering how a family could manage to raise children in this environment.
Ridec glanced across at the mother momentarily, she seemed so bereft and lost, perhaps it had been the husband that had been strong and that had kept the family alive. In this world the men seemed to be tough, quite unlike Merland. What was also strange was that Jessell seemed to know a lot about this world, yet he had never heard her speak of it.
‘How do you know so much?’ It took more effort to telepathically communicate with Jessell and run at the same time but he had to find out how Jessell seemed to know so much about this world and those zombies. She didn’t respond.
It felt like they had been running for hours before Mark yelled.
“Through there; it’s a cave, we might be able to lose them in it.”
Mark was the first to slide behind a bunch of bushes and disappear from sight, Pete hurried in after him, Kate followed and then Linda.
“You next,” Jessell instructed pushing Ridec forward and then sliding in after. As soon as Kent came in there was a moment of quiet.
“Where’s Mom?” The boy asked as their eyes grew accustomed to the dark and they all started to slowly look around the area trying to see if they could make out the face of the mother.
“Aaaahhhhhh!” The voice of Pete’s mother screaming just outside brought a cry from his lips. Ridec gripped him close and held on. He cried softly on Ridec’s chest glad for an adult to show affection and caring.
“You’ll be okay,” Ridec said gently.
“I have no one,” he sobbed.
“Keep the kid quiet, those things can hear,” Linda whispered.
“Be careful Ridec.” Jessell gripped Ridec’s arm firmly. “This isn’t home. You can’t pick up strays here; they may eat you.”
“He’s a boy and he’s frightened.” A part of him knew Jessell was right, but he couldn’t help it, he wasn’t seeing a soon-to-be zombie, he was seeing an eight year old boy that had lost his whole family in a matter of hours and was scared.
“We’re all frightened. He’s an unclean; at anytime he can become what we’re afraid of,” Jessell said.
“Let’s keep moving, I don’t know how keen the senses of those things are but I’d rather not test it with my life,” Kent advised.
“He’s right; we should get as far away from those things as we can.” Jessell’s arm was still hanging loosely around Ridec’s waist. It was strange, to be hugged by Jessell would normally be a dream come through, now, he didn’t even have the opportunity to savor the feel of her, he only had time for running and hiding. How did people have families in a world like this?
“Let’s try this way,” Kent whispered and he was already forging ahead.
“We’ll follow,” Jessell offered.
“Ridec belongs to us. He’s Resistance property,” Linda insisted.
“Only if my name was ‘Resistance’ would that be true,” Jessell retorted. Ridec grinned.
“I’m saving a bullet for you lady,” Linda advised.
“Feel free; just make sure you don’t miss. You won’t get a second chance,” Jessell threatened.
“I have a stake in him…” Kate began.
“Cool it ladies. Right now I would say we would do better to fight the zombies instead of each other, we have little ammunition and we’re not really sure where this cave is going to lead us, if any of us are going to survive we’re going to because all of us chose to work as a team,” Kent pointed out.
“No problem, I can wait until we reach civilization to kill her,” Linda said.
“That’s nice, but remember, I’m not making any promises to wait that long,” Jessell responded.
This was Jessell; she loved a challenge and a battle and she enjoyed knocking heads with people.
‘Jessell, do you really want to make them your enemies?’ Ridec asked into Jessell’s mind.
‘They are already my enemies; I’m simply letting her know that I’m aware of it.’ Jessell communicated. ‘Ridec.’
‘Yes?’ Ridec was pleased that they could communicate telepathically, it was proving quite helpful.
‘Don’t let your guard down. These people are not our friends. It is us against them. You must keep reading their minds so we know when they are planning something against us.’ Jessell instructed.
‘I have your back, Jessell, you can count on me.’
‘I have a small container of water, I can use it to help heal your ankle quicker.’
‘Do we want to be wasting our precious water on my injuries?’
‘If we don’t heal you, your injuries might cause us our precious lives. I don’t know about you but I’d rather lose my water than my life.’
Her thoughts were light and joking as she communicated to me but I couldn’t help feeling guilty.
‘I’m sorry I dragged you into all of this.’
‘You should be,’ she communicated. ‘But don’t worry; at least you had the sense to stay alive.’
‘I’ll make it up to you, I promise,’ Ridec swore mentally.
“I can think of one way you can make it up,” Jessell uttered verbally. Ridec was a little taken back by the change in the mode of communication and stopped to stare down at her.
“Anything.”
“Are you any good in bed?”
He laughed, he couldn’t help himself. She was being Jessell, not caring but caring, one could never know with her. It was one of the reasons he loved her as much as he did, she made big problems seem like nothing and always seemed to be able to look over a multiplicity of wrongs. With just one simple comment she had brushed away his entire responsibility in putting their lives in danger.
In seconds Jessell was placing her hand across his mouth to quench his laughter and her face was serious again.
‘Stick close to me Ridec; I didn’t come up here to take home your body for a funeral,’ she informed him.
‘You won’t,’ Ridec promised and in that moment he vowed to do everything to ensure that he and Jessel made it safely home.
“Don’t lag so far behind, you never know if one of those things managed to get into the cave,” Kate muttered halting momentarily to offer the few words of advice to Ridec and Jessell.
“I can take care of anything that gets in here,” Jessell said confidently pausing for a moment to press her hand against Ridec’s chest and push him against the wall of the cave.
“What?” Ridec turned a handsome but confused face towards her.
“Give me your ankle.”
“Right now?” Ridec muttered but Jessell was already gripping his leg and hoisting his foot up to her hip, Ridec could feel his body stiffening at the intimacy of the contact.
“What are you doing?” Kent demanded angrily.
“Not that I have to answer to you,” Jessell said slowly, “but I’m washing the bruise.”
“You think washing a sprained ankle is going to be any help?” Linda tossed back her head and laughed. “There’s no way he’s going to survive wounded out there.”
“In the first place, I didn’t ask your opinion and in the second place…” Jessell hesitated. “I really…really didn’t ask your opinion.”
“I don’t mean to butt in but I think Linda might be…” Kent started to say.
“Then don’t…butt in I mean.”
“We’re not your enemies you know,” Kent said sounding a mixture of angry and determined to make Jessell understand.
“No?” Jessell feigned surprise. “You capture my boyfriend, handcuff him during the night and threaten to kill me if I rescue him and you’re not my enemies?” She chuckled but it wasn’t meant to sound cheerful. “Forgive me if I can’t quite figure out what my enemies would do differently.”
“He’s you’re boyfriend?” Kent sounded disappointed.
“That’s hardly the point,” Linda’s frustrated voice cut in. “You’re wasting water when we don’t know when next we’ll find water to drink.”
Jessell didn’t answer and Ridec could tell from her mind that she had determined to ignore all of them, that was Jessell, once she had made a decision it was nigh impossible to change her mind.
“Did you hear what I said?” Linda screamed.
“Keep your voice down,” Kate cautioned.
Jessell held Ridec’s foot in her hand and poured the water along his ankle. It felt cool and refreshing and he could feel some of the pain from the strain start to drift away.
“Any better?”
“Yes…much better,” but he had to admit that he wasn’t talking about his leg anymore, he was talking about the way Jessell made him feel pressed up close against him like that.
“Now you two have tired mating do you think we can move along?” Linda demanded angrily. Jessell shrugged.
“I don’t recall asking any of you to wait on us.”
“You…”
“Just cool it Linda,” Kent cut in. “Is he feeling any better Jessell?”
“Yes.”
“I still don’t get how water can make any difference to a sprain,” Linda grumbled turning and walking off.
‘What do you think they would do to us if they knew what we really were?’ Ridec asked into Jessell’s mind.
‘I don’t know and I have a simple plan – I don’t intend for them to find out.’
***
They walked on in silence for some time, Ridec was confident that it was because everyone was exhausted but desperate to find an end to the cave. There was much he didn’t understand but he could see that somehow Jessell seemed to know what was going on in this place. Had she been here before and what exactly did she know?
‘Jessell, would you share with me what you know about this strange land?’
Surely knowing what was going on could only improve his chances of survival? Jessell seemed hesitant to respond so he prodded her. This earth place was just so strange, he really felt like a fish out of water.
‘You say you want me to survive but you refuse to give me ammunition to help me survive. I mightn’t be much of a fighter but surely I would be of some intellectual help if I knew what was happening around me,’ Ridec persisted and he could hear Jessell sigh mentally.
‘It is not an easy matter Ridec.”
‘I can handle difficult.”
‘This matter must be kept in the strictest of confidence.’
‘Of course.’
There was another pause and Ridec could sense that Jessell was still blocking some of her thoughts from his access.
‘It’s not pretty,’ she communicated.
‘I want to know, please.’
There was another moment of hesitation and then suddenly the wall that Jessell had put in her mind came tumbling down.
‘Read my thoughts Ridec and learn what I know; a little more knowledge may help to keep you alive and then the outcome will be worth any consequences.’
Ridec delved in anxious to understand where these humans, zombies and maybe if Jessell knew, Merfolk came from.