Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse (Book 2): Conflict (49 page)

“No,
Mary,” I said. “He leads.”

Rudy
guided us inside the tiny opening, having to crouch until the tunnel widened.
It sloped down gently, curving and twisting at weird angles. We each had a
helmet with light attached, along with electric lanterns and flashlights. These
provided more than enough illumination to see by, but there were plenty of
flickering shadows.

“Think
we’re going to find any monsters?” asked Mary.

“I’m
going to say no.” I hopped off a short ledge. “We already have enough of the
breathing and non-breathing sort to deal with. It would be profoundly against
God’s plan for more to show up.”

“I think
this was made by water,” commented Rudy. He was about fifteen feet in front of
us. “Erosion or something like that. Most of it is smooth, and there are
puddles everywhere.”

“Wouldn’t
the water just fill it up then?” Mary bent down to tie one of her sneakers. “It
rains here all the time.”

He shook
his head. “Some would evaporate, and a whole lot will seep through cracks into
the ground below. That happens with caves all the time. Otherwise, they would
all be full of water.”

We kept
at it, finding and searching six side tunnels. Two of these were only
accessible to Mary. She squeezed her skinny frame through the openings, careful
so not to get stuck, but they came to a dead end. Further down the main passage
we’d been following, she spotted something of interest.

“Hey!”

“Not so
loud,” I ordered. “Screams echo.”

“Stop
being a baby,” she chided, “and look at this.”

The beam
from Mary’s flashlight highlighted a series of rock carvings. They looked old
and weren’t very detailed. Rudy, still in the lead, had gone right past them.

“I bet
the Indians made these,” she said.

“They
are sort of like the ones you see in the desert to the southwest,” I replied.
“Still, that’s pretty far from here.”

“Not
Sioux,” remarked Rudy, backtracking to take a look. “At least, I’ve never seen
anything like this associated with them. Might be another tribe or something
older.”

Mary
took out her digital camera and began snapping pictures.

“How far
down are we?” I asked.

“I’d
guess a hundred feet,” he replied. “Hard to tell, but it’s not as deep as you’d
think. That’s almost always the case when spelunking.”

“Tunnel
keeps going,” pointed out Mary. “Come on. We have more exploring to do. Stop
dawdling.”

“You
were the one taking the pictures,” I said.

She
smirked. “And now I’m done.”

About
fifty feet past the petroglyphs, the passage spit in two. We headed left,
traveled a couple hundred feet and ran into a large pool. There didn’t seem to
be any openings within, and it wasn’t very deep. Nor were there any fish or
other signs of life. Heading back, we took the other route.

“Even
longer this time,” commented Mary.

“Looks
that way,” I agreed.

“You’re
the clever one,” said Rudy. He’d paused to rest. “And beautiful. Did anyone
ever tell you that your eyes…”

I cut
him off. “Mary’s too young for you. Say one more thing Rudy, and you won’t be
leaving this cave.”

“Now,
Jacob, I’m just…”

“No.” My
tone was firm. “Laura’s warned you about your behavior, so has Briana. Mine
will be the last. Keep your flirting to those old enough to know you’re full of
shit and won’t get hurt by it.”

Mary
began to laugh.

“Tara
and Dale consider her family, and I will let them off the leash.”

That
shut Rudy up, and whatever he was about to say disappeared forever. While he
was quite skilled, the man was also exceedingly annoying. I figured it wouldn’t
be long before someone beat the crap out of him. Most likely, the beating would
be deserved. Even more likely, it would be from some woman who thought him more
serious than he was and took offense. The guy had already been slapped about a
dozen times, none of which seemed to get through.

However,
the twins were on an entirely different level. Everyone knew about them, and
those who’d seen the pair fight were quick to spread stories of their deadly
aim. Best of all, from my perspective, were the constant reminders that killing
never bothered them. Those two could murder anyone and not lose a moment’s
sleep over it. This wasn’t entirely true, but I was not inclined to diminish
their reputation in any way.

“Don’t
worry Rudy,” began Mary. “I’ll find you someone so you aren’t lonely anymore.
There are plenty of widows in the valley, and it is way past time that you
settled down and got married. In fact, I’ll let everyone know that you want to
be a daddy – your biological clock is ticking, you know – and we’ll see what
happens.”

He
grimaced. Well over half the adult female population had lost their significant
other sometime since the zombie apocalypse began. Much of this was recent, the
wounds fresh, but that wouldn’t stop everyone from pursuing him. With the
number of men versus women so out of whack, single fellows like Rudy were in
high demand. It was another problem we faced.

“Let’s
keep going,” I suggested.

Mary
darted ahead before Rudy had a chance to resume the lead but stopped less than
a minute later. “Dead end,” she called.

We
joined her. The tunnel again terminated in a pool of water. This was larger
than the first we’d discovered, although not by much.

“That’s
that,” I said. “We’ll go back and let everyone know about the carvings. Randall
can wall this place off and install a door, which will be locked. That’ll be
better than the barricades we have been using. I don’t want to be coming down
here regularly to retrieve kids, and probably more than a few adults, who
decided to take a look.”

*
* *

I
realize the past two chapters haven’t been the length and depth you’ve come to
expect, but there wasn’t much to say. Granted, I could go into all sorts of
minutiae, but that’s a lot of trouble and somewhat boring. All the key items
were covered, and you know where we stand. I’m sure Briana could tell you more,
but my wife isn’t as inclined to create a written record.

And yes,
she is my wife. Father Nicholas performed the ceremony, shortly after the
church was built. Only a tiny number of the people in the valley are Catholic.
Most are Protestant or Mormon, and there are a handful of atheists, a few
agnostics, and a single Hindu living with us as well. While Yellowstone has
several ministers and an Orthodox priest, Father Nicholas is our only
clergyman. This puts a lot of pressure on him, and in addition to holding
Catholic services in the church, there are also non-denominational prayer
meetings and Bible studies. That made a lot of people happy, and there was no
shortage of volunteers to help complete the building. Additionally, I think
quite a few will eventually convert to Catholicism like Briana did. Mary is
slated to do so, after she finishes the abbreviated classes Father Nicholas insists
upon, now that we were in a more secure position and have the time for such
things.

It was
finally working out for us. A lot of labor was involved, and far more death and
suffering than anyone wants to remember, but I honestly feel we have a good chance
at pulling through. The zombies are not going away, and the world as a whole
seems to be getting worse. Yet, most are far from us, and the few that shamble
into the Black Hills are easily dealt with. The prophet is still out there, but
we are better positioned now. That bastard will get what’s coming to him, as
soon as the snow melts and spring rolls around. Next time, I will be the one
going on the offensive.

Appendix – Timeline (Year One)

August 22

At 3:15 AM (Central Time), a quarter of
the Earth’s population goes into unexplained convulsions, dies, and returns
seven minutes later as zombies.

September 12

Jacob, Briana, Lizzy, and Mary reach the
Nebraska National Forest.

November 15

The group has their first encounter with
the raiders when Steph is assaulted in Chadron, Nebraska during a scavenging
trip.

November 17

Kenneth, his girlfriend Barbara, and
four others escape an explosion and fire at the Wyoming ranch where they had
been staying.

November 19

Jacob discovers the remnants of the
Martin, South Dakota compound. The attackers wore the same distinctive jackets
as the men who previously attacked Steph.

November 20

The raiders find the settlement inside the
Nebraska National Forest and launch an assault. They are thwarted and slain
when an unusually large horde of zombies arrives, attracted by the sound of
battle. Only Jacob and a handful of his companions survive.

>>The first narrative, Sanctuary:
Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse, comes to a close<<

January 6

Kenneth is discovered and taken to the
castle.

Briana is forbidden to leave the
settlement until after the baby is born.

March 24

Marcus and his companions agree to join Jacob
and his group in Nebraska.

April 4

Jacob and Lizzy leave for Anadarko,
Oklahoma in the hope of finding Edwin and his people.

April 9

The survivors of Anadarko are rescued.

May 2

Jacob leaves for Wyoming to make contact
with the Ranching Collective.

May 8

Lizzy kills Kenneth.

May 23

Asher is born.

May 24

Briana unilaterally decides her last
name, along with Asher’s, is Thornton, the same as Jacob.

May 28

Lizzy leaves to collect a group of
refugees from Wyoming.

June 10

Lizzy returns with over three hundred
people, far more than they expected as people there begin to react to news of
the raiders’ exploits.

June 15

Jacob travels to the Black Hills to find
a new home for the group.

Mary turns fourteen.

June 30

Jacob returns after finding an isolated
valley in which to build a new settlement.

July 8

Jacob turns thirty seven.

July 23

Jacob and the twins go to war, with Mary
tagging along, uninvited.

August 7

Jacob is wounded during a battle in
Shoshoni, Wyoming.

Appendix – Timeline (Year Two)

August 22

One year since it all began.

The prophet and his forces launch an
assault on Casper and are repelled.

August 29

The castle is abandoned as the final
convoy leaves for the Black Hills.

October 17

Jacob and Briana are married.

Appendix – Zombie Laws

Reanimation Process

Approximately three days after being
bitten, the individual will die. Bites become infected almost immediately,
regardless of any medical treatment given. This will steadily grow worse,
mimicking the symptoms of gangrene. A high fever will also develop, and
eventually delirium will set in.

Physical contact with zombie blood,
fluids, or tissue does not result in infection. Only actual bites that pierce
the skin are known to be dangerous.

Seven minutes after death, the infected
will reanimate. Those dying without having first been bitten will rise again as
zombies in roughly twenty six hours.

Appearance &
Behavior

All zombies have a gray film, similar to
mucus, covering their eyes. This is distinct and easily noticeable.

They are silent. They do not moan. They
do not groan. They do not breathe.

The dead walk with short, shambling
steps. Their maximum speed is comparable to the walking speed of a typical,
healthy adult.

Zombies never stop moving and
immediately target any human they sense. This includes mechanical devices
associated with people, such as moving cars. While wandering about they
generally favor flat, easy to traverse surfaces such as roads. Being denser
than water, they are capable of crossing the bottom of lakes and rivers.

All animals, save humans, are ignored.
In return, all creatures, even insects, avoid the zombies. After a zombie is
killed, animals will treat it like any other dead body.

The shambling dead have an intense
desire to feed. However, after one or two bites they become sated and non-violent.
This lasts for approximately twenty minutes, after which the hunger returns.
While sated they are completely unaware of their surroundings and will not
recall anything that happens during this period.

Upon discovering prey, zombies will not
cease in their efforts to reach it. If a person is hiding inside a house or
room, the zombie will beat on the door until it gains entrance or is
distracted. If distracted, the creature will completely forget about the
original prey.

Durability &
Strength

The only way to kill a zombie is to
destroy the brain. Severing the spinal column will cause paralysis, much as it
would with a human being.

Zombies rot for roughly two days. At
that point decomposition ceases. However, if the brain is damaged sufficiently
to destroy the zombie, the body will then deteriorate normally.

They do not suffer physical injury from
regular activities. A barefoot zombie walking over rough ground will sustain no
damage to its feet. The exact nature of this is unknown with the primary
theories being: 1) zombies have skin more durable than the living and 2)
zombies steadily heal minor injuries (major wounds never heal).

The dead are weaker than when they were
alive, although the difference is slight. They have unlimited endurance.

Cold temperatures, even below freezing,
do not affect or hinder a zombie in any way.

Intellect & Senses

Zombies have no memory of their past and
are unable to reason normally. However, they can perform basic functions such
as unlocking doors.

Vision is limited to approximately a
half mile. If blind during life, they are also blind following reanimation.

Their hearing is unchanged, and this
sense is often used to locate prey.