run: a post apocalyptic thriller -...

Run!RichRestucci

Run!ByR.RestucciAllRightsreserved.

madeintoascreenplaywithBruceWillisasthemaincharacter

ultimatelyendingupasasummerblockbusterwithoutexpresswrittenpermissionandlotsof

royaltychecks.Anysimilarityto

actualpeople,orpiecesofactualpeople,livingordeadispurely

coincidental.

ForDonna,Danielle,Richy,andChloe,whoseunendingpatiencewithmypreppinglenttothewritingofthisbook.TheythoughtIwaspreppingorplayingvideogamesinthebasementandhadnoideaIwaswriting.OrthatIcouldwrite.OrthatI

hadapencil.

TheboundarieswhichdivideLifefromDeathareatbestshadowyandvague.Who

shallsaywheretheoneends,andwheretheotherbegins?

EdgarAllanPoe

ForewordbyJ.R.Jackson

Havingreadnumerousapocalypticnovelsthathaveinthelastfewyears,focusedonzombie-esqueorglobalpandemicextinctionlevelevents,itwasaprivilegetobeaskedtowritetheforewordforRichRestucci'sRun!.Run!isnotyour

typicalzombieapocnovel.Sure,there'szombies,there'spanic,there'schaos,there'stheendoftheworldasweknowit,allkeyingredientsforahorror/action/apocalypticnovel.What'smissingarethetypicalclichés,thestandard,expecteddialogueandthestereotypical,one-dimensionalcharacters.Gone

arethosetropessocommoninthistypeofnovelorfilm.Instead,thereisaworldrichindiversecharacters,unexpectedevents,andplottwiststhatwillkeepyouontheedgeofyourseat.Rich,whomI'veknownforawhileandsharesimilarinterestswith,wrotethisnovelduringhislunchbreaks.Whatdoesthatsay?Thatmeansthatthecafeteriawas

obviouslyservingsomethingthatmotivatedhimtousehissparetimetoproduceawrittenworkthatfarsurpassesothernovelsinthesamegenre.IfthisisyourfirsttimereadingoneofRich'snovels,thensitback,getcomfortable,andpreparetobeentertained.J.R.Jackson

Author,UpFromtheDepthsseriesMilitaryandTechnicalAdvisorforAuthors

PrologueDisbelief can be a

powerfulenemy.Seriously,ifadishevelledguyinbloodiedclothes stumbled out of analleyoradoorwayandcameat you, arms outstretched,what would you do? Somepeoplewouldoffersometypeof assistance, and thiswouldbe their undoing. Nobody,

prior to theonsetofaplagueof the living dead, wouldthink Zombie! and run. Thedeadsimplydon’twalk.It’safundamental law of nature.You might think theoffendingflesh-eaterwasjusta homeless guy looking forsparechangeandyou’dwalkaway. Of course then thecreature follows you,moaning, shambling, andgenerally looking vacant.

You get pissy at hispersistenceandchallengehimwiththe“Lookbuddy,Idon’thaveanythingforyou,”ploy.The undead continues tostumbleatyouandyoupointathimandtellhimtogetlost.He doesn’t. Some peoplewould get scared and runfrom their pursuer. Somewould decide that they don’tlike being followed, andwould confront the zombie-

incognito. Game over. Onebite, sometimes even just ascratch, and you’re playingfortheotherteaminadayatmost. Of course once you’rebitten, you either succumbright then, or you run,thinking the whole time: Ihope that guy didn’t haveAIDS or some shit… Thenyou go to the hospital, or gohome,puton abandage, andhavedinnerwithyourfamily.

Eitherwayyou’rescrewed.Inadditiontodeadthings

walking, which is strange initself, the basic principles ofweaponryceasetoexistwhenconfronting the undead.Weaponsaresupposedtokillthrough injury, but as theopponents on the businessend of said weapons arealready dead, most bodilytraumaisineffective.Knifingyour average human will

seriously injure them, butstickingaknifeintothechestof an undead will achievelittle. Shooting one in theshoulder will spin it around,maybeknock it over, butnotfor long. This is a difficultconcept to grasp, and whenthe plague first popped up,hundreds of people diedthinking they were safebehind thebuttendofaninemillimeter. Bullets were

useless, unless you scored aheadshot,butreally,haveyouever fired a gun? Have youeverfiredagun,whilescaredshitless at people intent oneatingyou?Let’sassume thedeadarecomingforyou,andapply the followingparameters to your aim:you’ve never fired a gunbefore,you’reterrified,outofbreath from running, hungry,thirsty, and haven’t slept in

days. Now try to hit yourfifteenshamblingattackersinthe head at fifty feet. Unlessyou’vebeentrainedintheuseof firearms, and havepracticedsteadily,atbestyouwould probably pop one inthe noggin. Reload. Twentyfeet away.They’re closer, soyou get four more. Reload.Ten feet away, panic sets in,and you fire wildly, wishingyou had the aim you did at

twenty feet. Two more headshots and the remaining 8creatures are dining on yourinnards.Still,youmanagedtothin the herd by six. Now,you’re thinking that themathis wrong: you destroyedseven, but you’re joining theparty now, so only 6 havetruly gone away. Not badthough, you did well, otherthan the whole being eatenpart. Under normal

circumstances, a six to onekill ratiowould be excellent,ask any video gamer. Thesearenotnormal circumstanceshowever, and nobody knewabout the need for headshotsuntil Boston was alreadytoast.

The first outbreakhappened inBoston.Nobodyreally knows how or evenreally where in that doomedcity the first zombie went

looking for lunch, but that’swhere the end of moderncivilizationbegan.Nobodyinother parts of the worldthought the attackers weredead. I mean, that’s justridiculous. The folks gettingattacked suspected though.They poured into hospitalsand police departments withstoriesaboutpeopleattackingother people, and that theattackers could not be

stopped. Initially, these folkswere thought of as scaredwitless, but this would soonchange for rescue personnel.Calls came in for the copsand firefighters andparamedics, and they toowereattacked.Everyonewhowas bitten died. Absolutelyeveryone.

Once it started, it spreadquickly. Police and rescuecrews were overworked and

in constant danger from thebeginning. Itdidn’t take longfor authorities to realize thatthe bites were the mainsource of infection. Doctorsat Mass General Hospitalknewwithinhoursofthefirstreported chewing that anybite, nomatter how small orwherever thebodily location,was fatal. They didn’t get tocommunicate this factthough, because the hospital

was overrun from within onthefirstnight.

The news coming out ofNewEnglandwas sketchy atbest,ascommunicationswerecut off by the military afterthefirstfewhours.Sometypeof super-rabies was popularon the news, as was achemical attack by radicalextremists. The rest of theworldassumed itwasa localissueandpaidlittleattention.

A breakdown in basic socialserviceswasinevitable,andittook less than fifteen hoursfor 911 to crumble in theBoston area. There was noone left to man the phones.They were running for theirlives, hunting prey, orchewed chunks of meat in arottingstomach.

The US Army was intown in force the next day,running sweepsand trying to

save trapped civilians. Theyultimatelyendedupinoneofthe three categoriesmentioned in the lastparagraph. On the third dayof infection, theArmypulledout. They left with a sixtypercent casualty rate. Theplan rapidly switched fromrescuetooneofcontainment.The idea was to contain theinfectionbyisolation.Bostonwas cut off from the rest of

countrybyArmycordon.Theskies around Boston werefilled with military aircrafts,patrollinganewlyestablishedno-fly zone. Tanks, Bradleyfighting vehicles, APCs,Humvees, and eleventhousand troopsencircled thecity for a fewdays, allowingno one in or out. Thiswas amonumentaltaskasBostonissurrounded by dozens ofsuburbs, and fleeing citizens

didn’twant to stop forArmycheckpoints. Anyone comingtoward a blockade wasordered back into the city.Noncompliance was dealtwith harshly. Soldiers killedas many fleeing civilians asthey did undead in the firstfew days. The civvies didn’twanttostaydeadthough,andthey joined the everincreasing ranks of theenemy. Outbreaks sprung up

in the suburbs outside ofBostoninthefollowingdays.Containment had failed, andthe army pulled back furtheras they were reinforced.These attackers simply couldnotbedead,thatisabsurd.

Ondaytwo,AChannel7News helicopter took offfrom the roof of the newsbuildingafter thecordonwasputinplace.Theystayedlow,but were spotted by military

aircraftquickly.Theintentofthe chopper crew was not toescape the city, but reportwhat was really going on.They were ordered to landimmediately, but refused. ACobra gunship wasdispatched to help the newscrew un-refuse. The Eye inthe Sky helicopter got someexcellent footage of thestreets of Boston filled withthousands of milling bodies.

They followed a fleeingconvoy of military Humveesthatwas trying to escape thecity northward. The choppercaught up with the convoyand hovered over them asthey fled, the footagestreaming directly to theinternet.OneoftheHummersintheconvoywascutoffbyalarge group of infected, andGeneralTimothyPowers, thecommanding officer of

Operation Steadfast Resolve,was eaten on live internet-television as he and hisentourage tried to make astand on the Zakim Bridge.News Center 7 Chopper 1was shot down by theCobragunshipwhentheywouldnotacquiesce to the no-fly zonedemands. The panickedscreams of the news crewwere heard across the planetas the crew saw the missile

contrails from the Cobra’sM158 rocket launcherstreaking toward them. Intruly spectacular fashion, thewreckage landed on a Citgogas station, and the resultingexplosion and fires, could beseen for miles.Approximately one sixteenthof thecityburnedbecauseofthe fires. This got theattention of the entire world,but still no one believed it

wasthelivingdeadthatwereourenemies.

Boston was consumedand considered lost in twodays.Bythistimetherewereoutbreaks in Hartford andNewHavenCT ,ManchesterNH , Bangor ME , andManhattan Island. The EastCoast was in big trouble. Iffolks in Boston thought theyhad it bad, New York Citywas pure Hell. Boston ’s

population of seven hundredthousand was nothing incomparison to New York ’seightmillionplus.NewYorkCitywasdead twodaysafterthe first reported case ofinfection. People startedgetting the message that thisenemy was not normal, butlivingdead?Comeon.

There were runningbattles in all of the cities ofthe East Coast, and local

militias sprang up to defendthe populace. Inevitably, themilitiasandtheregularArmy,who were becoming moreand more spread out, buttedheads. An entire town insouthernNewHampshire fellto infection overnight. TheArmy had been there earlierin the day, but militia menwould not let them into thetown.Rather thanhaveafirefightwith townies, theArmy

pulled back and discussedwhat to do. The followingmorning, soldiersweregoingto use their heavily armoredvehicles tobreak through themilitiaroadblockandbringinsupplies to the town. Theygot to the edge of town onlyto see it filled with moaningcitizens,includingthemilitia.TheArmyfellback.

The President went onnational television on the

third day after the Bostonoutbreak. He told his fellowAmericans thatweshouldallpoint our thoughts andprayers toward Boston andNew York. He made hisstatementswhileonboardAirForce One at forty thousandfeet on the way to anundisclosed location.Immediately following thePresident’s press conference,outbreaks occurred in

Washington DC. The EastCoast of the United States,fromMainetoMarylandwasinfected.

Flights out of the USwere grounded but not soonenough. Therewere rumoredreports of infection in Paris,andTokyo.Theinfectionwasglobal in less thanabusinessweek.

Four days after firstinfection,LosAngelessawits

first cases. Of all the UScities LA fared the best, asthey were the best prepared.It took seven days forLA tosuccumb to the dead plague,but by this time it waseverywhere. Most countrieswere no longer being heardfrom. Europe was inshambles, and there was noword from Japan. Chinaclosed its borders, and wasfighting its own infected.

There were outbreaks inJohannesburg and AddisAbaba . Perth and Tel Avivwere burning, and Bombaywasanightmare.

On day twenty one,Beijing was obliterated bynuclear fire, raising the localtemperature to a tad higherthan ten thousand degreesFahrenheit,incineratingsometenmillionundead,andafewhundred thousand uninfected

humans.OnDay twentyone,Homo Sapiens ceased to bethedominantlifeformontheplanet.

Atthebeginningofallofthis, on infection day zero, alittle girl boarded a flightfrom Boston to SanFrancisco, where she waspickedupbyher fatheruponarrival.

BookOne:Run!

1“Daddy!” yelled a little

girl, waving across the busyairportterminal.Amaninthecrowdwavedback.

“I seeyou, sweetie!” themancalledtoher.

An airline attendantbroughttheyounggirlbythe

hand through security to thewaiting man. “ThanksDebbie!” the girl said to theattendant.

“Ofcourse,Sammy,”theattendant replied, “you weremyfavoritepassenger.”

“Nobody calls meSammyandlives!”theyounggirl said in mock anger.SammytriedtotickleDebbie,and Debbie burst outlaughing.

“You must be Sam’sfather?” Debbie asked theman.

“I sure am,” the manreplied, “I’ve been waitingfor the little punk-sickle allday!”

“Daddy! I’m nopunk! I’ll beat you down!”Samantha ran to her fatherand jumped into his arms.She squeezed him tight. “Imissed you,” she said quite

seriously.“Me too, honey,” he

replied quietly. “Thanks fortaking care of this littlecreature,” the man saidputting Sam down. Heextended his hand and said,“Myname’sRick.”

Debbie shot her handout, “Debbie. She was noproblem at all, I was glad tohang outwith her. I do needsome form of ID, though,”

she continued. “Regulationsandwhatnot.”

“Understandable,” Ricksaid, and dug for hiswallet.“Willthisdo?”

“Wow,Detective…sure,thiswilldo.”Rickhandedherhis ID, and she verified hisname with some informationonacardaroundSam’sneck.“Allset!”Debbiedeclared.

“Thanks again, pleasuretomeetyou.”Ricktookback

his ID and shook Debbie’shand once more. “Let’s go,kiddo!”hesaidtoSam.

“Bye Debbie!” Samcalled as she and her fatherturnedtowardbaggageclaim.Debbie waved at her andheaded toward the exit, hersmall, wheeled luggage bagintow.

“I liked her, she wasnice,”Samsaidtoherfather.

“Me too, kid,” her dad

agreed, a thoughtful look onhis face. Rick made abackwardglancetocatchonemore glimpse ofDebbie, butshewasgone.

“Whatchoo lookin’ forDaddy?” Sam asked, a slygrinonherface.

“Don’t make me whoopyou, girl!” Rick growled, inmockanger.

“OOOHHHH! Daddyyou LIKE Debbie!” Sam

cooed.“Shewaspretty,yes,but

I don’t know her. Maybe Ishoul-”

Sam cut himoff: “Shoulda asked her out,at least gotten her number,bigdummy.”

Rick looked at hisdaughter with raisedeyebrows. “Ohyeah… You’re gonna get itnow.” He said. “Let’s get

yourbags,troublemaker.”Father and daughter

walkedovertobaggageclaimandsatdownonabench.Thebaggage wasn’t on thecarousel yet. The carouselwasn’tevenmoving.

“Looks like we got acouple of minutes kid, howwas your flight?” RickglancedupattheTVnearthebaggage claim. There was anews bulletin on, but the

soundwasmuted.“Itwasok.Debbiemade

it fun, she stayed with memost of the flight.” Samcontinued but Rick wasn’treally listening. He waswatching the news unfold onthetelevision.Althoughtherewas no sound, there werevideo clips of riots in whatappeared to be Boston. Thenewscaster put his finger tohisearandlookeddownashe

listened to some feed. Thecaster then turned to the leftwith raised eyebrows. Hereturned to focus on thecamera, and lookedgrim.Hesaid what was obviously thethis is not for the faint ofheart and children shouldlook away now, line thatanchormen live for.The feedswitched to a local reporter,who looked quite frightened.A group of about thirty

haggard people wereencroaching upon a policebarricade. The barricadelooked to have been hastilyerected, andconsistedof twopolice cars parked nose tonose,with some barbedwireand sandbags a few yards infront of them. It blockedpassage across most of thestreet. Behind the cars, thecops leaned over the hoodsand trunks with weapons

drawn. The news cameracaught the reporter againstthis backdrop with theapproaching crowd in thedistance. Suddenly, andwithout provocation, thepolice opened fire on thegroupofunarmedcivilians.

“Jesus!” Rick whisperedto himself. Samantha didn’tnoticeandkepttalking.

On the screen, thecivilians jerked and

shuddered, some fallingimmediately under thebarrage of gunfire but themajority of the people didn’teven slow. Rick could seethat there were terriblewoundsonthepeoplecomingtoward the police. At thispoint, one of the cops turnedand shouted at the reporter,pointingbackbehindhimandhis camera man. The viewshifted to the reporter and

both members of the newscrew fled. The cameraremained on, and provided abouncingimageofthegroundasthecrewran.Thefeedcutout after a few seconds, andtheoriginalanchorcamebackon. The whole scene hadplayed out in a bizarre andeeriesilence.

“Daddy?Daddy!”Rick tore his gaze from

thescreen.

“Weren’t you listenin’?”Samaskedlookingathim.

“Sorry honey, there wassome important news on theTV,” Rick answered. Thebaggage carousel began torotate, and luggage began tospit out from a square portalin the back wall. “Let’s getyourstuff,”hefinished.

A pink Littlest Pet Shopbackpackcamearoundonthecarousel, and Sam shouted

“That’s it!” Rick grabbed astrap and shouldered thepack. “How’s it look?” heasked.

“Daddy!” Sam barked,“It totally doesn’t go withthoseshoes.”

Thepairwalkedfromtheairportterminallaughing.

Acrowdhadgathered infront of the silent TV, thebaggagecarouselforgotten.

Sam had been in San

Francisco for threedays, andshe readily went to bedbetweeneightandnine.Rickand Sam had eaten someburgers fromMcDonalds fordinner,andheputher tobedat about eight thirtywith herstuffed tiger from the newest

Disneymovie.ShehadgottenitinherHappyMeal,andwasinstantly in love. Aftercarefully closing the door tohis daughter’s room, Rickturned on the TV in hisapartment. The TV was stillbuzzingwithnewsabout thisoutbreak.Thewordsinfectionand plague were thrownabout almost casually earlierin theday,butnowthenewsanchorslookedfrightened.

No real information wascomingout ofNewEngland,and Rick couldn’t get intouch with his ex-wifeBrenda,whohadmovedbackeastwithSamfollowingtheirdivorce three years ago. Hewasbecomingmoreandmoreworried about his ex-wife.Brenda was the type to callevery night to talk to Samwhile she was visiting herfather, and she hadn’t yet

called.Notonlythat,butRickcouldn’t get in touch withher.Neither her home phonenor her cell was active. Thehomephonegavethe“NotinService” recording, and thecell went right to voicemail.He just couldn’t get through.Rick had a buddy in theSWAT program in Boston,buttherewasnoreachinghimeither.

Suddenly the phone on

the end table rang loudly.Rickpicked itupon the firstring, as he didn’t want thephonewakingSam.“Hello?”

“Rick, thisisMeara,I’mgonna need you to come intonight,” said a disembodiedvoice.

“Mike? You scared theever-loving-shit out of me!”Rickbreathedintothephone.

“Rick, you’ve got tocomeintonight,noshit.”

“Areyoukidding,I’monvacation, I’ve got my kidhere,youknowthat!”

“Cancelled, get a babysitter. We’re calling in alluniforms and detectives.There’ssomeuberweirdshithappening, something likewhat’sbeenhappeningontheeastcoast,”Mikesaid.

Rick’s blood went cold.He had been hearing somestrange things on the news

concerning this outbreak,people acting violent andattackingstrangers.

“It’s ten o’clock, I can’tget there until 7 AM at theearliest. I can’t get a sitteruntil tomorrow.” Rickreplied.“MaybeIcangetmydad,”headded.

“That’llhavetodothen,”Mike said. “See you in themorning.”

Mike hung up, andRick

followed suit, cursing underhisbreath.“HowamIgonnatell Sam?” he thought. “ShejustgothereandIneedtogoto work?” Rick picked thephone up and dialled hisfather.

“Hello?” Rick heard.“HeyPop,howyoudoing?”

“Rick!Hi!Areyouguysstill coming tomorrow?”Rick’sfatherasked.

“Yeah Dad, about that,”

Rickstarted.“Rick, if you cancel on

me I’ll friggin’ kill you,” hisdad said. “I haven’t seenSammyintwoyears.”

“No, no Dad,” Rickbegan, “I got an emergencycall towork, and I need youtotakeSamfortheday.”

“Oh, that’s ok, noproblem. Is everythingok? Itisn’tanything todowith thiscrap back east is it? I saw

somestuffonthenewsaboutit, some type of super-rabiesorsomething.”

“Might just be, Pop.Mearacalledandhesaidthatall units are getting the call,so something’s up. You stilllockedandloaded?”

“No Rick, I got myservicepiececonfiscatedaftermy little incident with thatpunk. They haven’t given itback to me yet, and won’t

until the investigation isover.”

“You’llget itback,Dad,youdidwhatanybodywouldhave done,”Rick said. “Thatlittle shit killed two peoplethatnight,andyousavedthatguy at the gas station bytaking out the trash. I’mproud of what you did, youknowthat.”

“I’m not proud thatsomebody died by my hand,

but that gas stationattendant’s wife was damnhappyIhappened tobe therewhenhewasgettingrobbed,”Rick’s father returned. “Shebrought me over somedelicious Cuban sandwicheswith those pickles. She saidshe would pray for me.Regardless,in30yearsontheforce, I never fired myweapon at a suspect. Onemonth retired, and I shoot

somebody. Damn. One lesscrack-headIguess.”

“Itwasagoodthingyoudid, Pop, hewon’t be killinganyone else. Anyway, I’llbringSamoverabout6:30intheAM,isthattooearly?

“Forme?Son,youknowI’mupbeforetherooster.I’man oldman now, I’ll get thesleepIneedwhenI’mdead.”

“Dad, don’t say that,”admonished Rick. “Even

thoughitiskindoffunny.”“Give an old man his

pleasures,boy.”“I hope I’m as tough as

you when I get to be an oldfart,oldman,”Rickchided.

“Igettocallmeold,youdo it and you get an asskickin’, kid,” his dad shotrightback.

Ricklaughed,“Okpotty-mouth, but no talking likethatinfrontofSam.”

“Sam who?” his fatherjoked. “My Alzheimer’s iskickin’inagain.”

“I’mfunnierthanyou,soquit trying, and I’ll see youtomorrow.”

“Night then,” his dadsaidandhungup.

After he hung up thephone, Rick went to hisbedroom and opened up alock box. He pulled out his.40 caliber Taurus service

pistol, and removed thetriggerlock.Hebroughtitouttothelivingroom,andbeganto meticulously clean it. Ashe was doing so, there weresirens outside his apartmentbuilding. These wereambulance sirens, not copsirens, and this was nothingnew in the city, so he paidlittle attention.When hewasdone cleaning theTaurus, hereplaced the trigger lock,and

put the weapon on hisnightstand under a facecloth.Rick thenwent to his closet,unlocking that and the tallsteel case hidden inside.Withinwereanassortmentofweapons, and he removed awell-oiled SPAS-12 semi-automaticshotgun.Heloadedthe shotgun, installed atrigger lock, put the weaponback in the case, and lockedthat. Rick brushed his teeth

andwenttobed,thinkingthedepartmentowedhimbigforbugging out on his daughterforaday.

Rickwoke groggily to a

commotion outside hisapartmentbuilding.Theclockonthenightstandread3:12ingreen digital numbers.Someone was shouting, andRick groggily trudged to hissecond story balcony toinvestigate.He could see the

rotating emergency lights ofan ambulance, and when helookeddownat the street, hecould see a paramedicpushing what looked like ahomeless man away fromhim.Asecondparamedicwascradling his own arm andyelling at the homeless guy.Rickcouldseetheparamedicwas bleeding. The firstparamedicgavetheattackeramighty shove, and the guy

went ass-down with a halftwist, landing hard on hisarm. Rick could hear theguy’s arm snap from thebalcony and shouted at theparamedic.

“Hey!Hey,whatthehellareyoudoing!”

Theparamediclookedupandsaid,“Gobackinsidesir,we’vegotthis!”Theguywiththebrokenarmstarted togetup,seeminglyunfazed.

Rick yelled down again,pointing at the paramedic“I’m a cop, you stay rightthere!”Heduckedbackinthedoor and went to check onSam, who she was sleepingsoundly. He grabbed theTaurus, and as anafterthought, a pair ofhandcuffs. He removed thetrigger lock on the pistol ashe ran tohis apartmentdoor.Rickwasacopinthecity,so

hehadasteelapartmentdoor,with a two inch steel tubefitted from the center of thedoor to a recess in the floor.Nobody would break thisdoor down easily. Heremoved the tube lock, andexited, locking the doorbehindhim,andthentookoffbrisklydownthestairs.

Thedoortohisneighbor,Mrs. McCreedy’s apartmentwas slightly ajar. Shewas in

hereighties,andRicklikedtocheck inonher from time totime. Rick made a mentalnote of the door, andcontinued downstairs. WhenRick exited the building, thehomelessguywasonceagainmoving toward theparamedics, his left armdanglingatananglethatwasallwrong.His right armwasclawing at the air, and hestumbled toward the

emergencyworkers, his backto Rick. Something was offaboutthisguy,butthatdidn’tgive the people who weresupposed to be helping himcausetoseriouslyinjurehim.

“Sir, I think you shouldsit down, and let these guyslook at your arm,” Rickcalled from behind thehomeless guy, “we’ll get tothe bottom of this.” The guypaidnoattentiontoRick,but

pressed on toward theparamedics, who were nowbackingaway.

“ShitDon,thatguy’sgotagun,”oneofthemyelled.

“I’m a cop,”Rick calledback. “Sir, please sit down,your arm is broken, I thinkyou should…” Rick thenrealized what was off aboutthe homeless guy.Hewas ina business suit, with patentleather shoes. His attire

suggested a fairly wealthyyuppie-type. The clothes hewaswearingwouldcostmorethan Rick made in a month.Rick caught upwith the guyand put a hand on hisshoulder. “Mister, mister areyou ok?” The guy turnedaround and lunged. Rickback-pedalled and got clear.The guywas five feet away,and swiped with his righthand. “Whoa buddy, calm

down, I’m trying to helpyou!” The guy startedadvancing,andRickbegantobackaway.

“Dude! Look at hiseyes,” one of the paramedicscalled. Rick tilted his headslightly and looked at theguy’seyes.Theywereblood-red.Not bloodshot, like afteranightofheavydrinking,butthe whites looked as if theguyhadtakenaseriousblow

to the eyes. Both eyes werealsobleeding,andtherewasatricklecomingfromhisnose.The guy hissed and cametoward Rick. “Alright sir,that’sfarenough,”Ricksaid,putting both hands on hisTaurus, and pointing ittoward the ground at theguy’s feet. The man eitherdidn’thearordidn’tcare.

“Sir, I am a policeofficer. If you don’t stand

down, I will have to takeaction.”

“Shoot him,” yelled oneoftheparamedics,“shootthatprick,hefuckingbitme!He’snotright!”

“Sir!StoprightthereorIwill fire!” The guy keptadvancing slowly, as Rickkeptbackingup.“Shit,”Ricksaid under his breath. Heapplied the safety on theTaurus,walkeduptotheguy

and thumpedhimon thesideof theheadwithhisgun.Allhis training told him therewas no way this guy couldfunction properly after beingpistol whipped. If donecorrectlythesuspectbecomesdisoriented, and isimmediately under control,with little physical damage.The guy went down like astone. Rick continued pasthim to the wide eyed

paramedics. “He’ll be ok.He’ll have a headache, andmaybe need a stitch or two,but there’s no real damage.Can you check him out forme? Idon’twant toget suedif…”

Rick noticed theparamedic he was talking towasn't making eye contact,butstaringpasthimdownthestreet.Rick turned to see theunkemptguy thathehad just

pistol whipped almost backonhisfeetalready.

Guy must be on PCP,Rick thought. The manadvanced toward theparamedics and policeofficer, right arm reaching.His upper arm bone wasvisibly poking through hisbloodied business suit. Theguyhadtobeinhorriblepain,evenonPCP.

Rick flicked the safety

off.“Sir,I’vebeenasniceasI’m gonna be. Stop or I willfire.”Theguyadvanced.Ricktook up a firing stance, andaimed at the guy. “SIR!” heyelled.Theguykeptcoming.“God damn it!” Rick said,andfiredashotintotheguy’srightthigh.

“Jesus!” breathed one oftheparamedics.

Notonlydidtheguynotstop, he didn’t even look at

hiswound.Itdidn’tslowhim.He kept coming, twenty feetaway now. Rick was unsureofwhattodo.Theguyhadnoweapon, but he wasn’tlistening to commands. Heobviously wasn’t rational.Theman had already injuredone paramedic. “You guyswill back me up on this,right?” Rick said with a drymouth.

“Fuckin-A, drill

him!” shouted Randy, theparamedicwiththebite.

“Sir, please!” Rickpleaded. The guy showed nosigns of slowing. All Rickcould think about was thevideo feed of the cops inBostonfiringoncivvies.Rickshot the guy center mass inthechest.Theguywentdownononeknee,puttinghisrighthand down on the street tocatch himself, but he started

to get up almostimmediately.

“Thisgetsafifteenoutoften on my fucked-up-shit-o-meter,”oneoftheparamedicssaid.

TheguystumbledtowardRick, who shot him again inthe stomach. This time theguy didn’t even slow.At tenfeet, Rick shot him in theforehead and the guy fell onhisback. “Fuckme,”was all

Rick could say. He had justshot a one-armed man fourtimes.

“Stay away from him,”he told the other two. “Hemight be infected with thatBostonstuff.”

“No, No, NO,” said theinjured paramedic. “He bitme!ThatmeansIcouldbeintrouble.”

“Relax Randy, we’ll getyou back and get it looked

at,” the other cajoled. “It’sprobablynothing.”

Rickcautiouslyadvancedonthefallenman.Helookedat the gunshot wounds andwondered how anyone couldhave kept going with thethree shots he put into themprior to the head shot.“Gimme a sheet, I’m gonnacover him and call this in,”Rick said. “I’m also gonnaneed your ID’s. There’s

definitely going to be aninquiry, and I’ll need youguysaswitnesses.”

“No problem,” Donsaid,“youtoldhimtostoptenfriggintimes.”

Don got a white sheetfrom the back of theambulance,butseemedafraidtogonearthedeadguytoputitoverhim.

“I’ll do that,” Rick toldhim.

“Thanks, man. I kind ofdon’t want this job rightnow.”

Rick introduced himself,gottheirIDs,andtoldthemtoget the bitten paramedic tothe hospital. “Normally, Iwould have you wait here,butyou’vesustained injuries,soyoushouldgogetcheckedout. There’ll be cops askingfor you in an hour or so, beready.” Rick covered the

bodywiththesheet.The paramedics hopped

in the ambulance. “We’regonna call this in, too,” saidDon. “We’ll get Randycheckedout soon,but Igottalet Control know whathappened.” Rick wassurprised at the lack ofspectators for the event.Usually an officer involvedshooting was the talk of theneighborhood,but therewere

only a few onlookers, whoimmediately dispersed whenRick started back toward hisbuilding. There were sirensaplenty, in fact more thanusual for this early in themorning, but no emergencyvehiclesseemedtobecominginhisdirection.

He went back into hisapartment building to call inthe shooting.Mrs.McCreedywas in the hall, in a floral

print nightgown, leaningagainst thecorridorwall.Shehad her face turned awayfrom Rick. He walked upbehind her and put his handonhershoulder.

“It’s okMrs.McCreedy,youcangobacktobed.Therewas a disturbed guy outfront.”

Mrs McCreedy turnedvery quickly and grabbedRick’shand,bringingittoher

mouth.Shebitdownhardontheoutsideofhispalm,underhis pinkie finger. It hurt likeholyhell,andRickhowledinpain. He ripped his handaway from her and backedup.Therewasnoblood.Theolderwoman growled low inher throat, and lunged atRick, slashingwith claw-likefingers.Her eyeswere bloodred.Shemanagedtograbhisshirt, and attempted to bite

hisface.Hepushedheraway,but her grip was like iron.Prettydamnstrongforanoldlady,wasRick’sfirstthought.Hissecondthoughtwas:Holyshit, shebitme!Rick shovedhis neighbor hard and shewent on her backside. Heinspected his hand, palm up,cradlingitbetweenthethumbandfingersofhisotherhand,turning it over a few times.There was a semi-circle red

mark, but no blood. Thewomanstarted togetup,andRick shoved her back downwith his foot. She looked athim made a horrible hissinggrowl,hermouthgoingwidein a feral snarl. Rick sawblackenedgumsinatoothlessmouth. She hadn’t put herteeth in! Rick gave heranother booted shove beforeshecouldstand,andshewentface down this time. He

quickly knelt down on herback, effectively pinning herto the floor. Rick pulled outhishandcuffsandyankedherleft arm behind her back,applyingthecuffs.Shefoughtsavagely,buthegotherrighthand and completed cuffingher.Shehadbeensnappingathim the whole time. Rickdragged her into herapartment and shut the door.The guy in the business suit

thatRickhad just shotwasastranger. Rick couldn’t shootMrs. McCreedy, she neededhelp. Her struggles could beheard inside, as she tried tostand. She was knockingthings over in her apartment,and Rick heard her lamp hitthe floorwith a crash.As anafterthought, he opened thedoor back up, locked it fromtheinside,andcloseditagain.Hecheckedthedoortomake

sure it was locked and wentbacktohisapartment.

Rick went to thebathroom and washed hishands three times. The redmarkwasreceding,butitwasstill sore. No broken skinthough. He was relieved.“Never again will I grabsomebody by the shoulder,”he said to himself, “frigginidiot, rookie mistake. Twiceintenminutes!”

Lights were flashingfrom outside. He walked tothebalconyandlookeddown.The ambulance was stillthere, both doors open wide,but the paramedics werenowhere to be seen. Rickstarted toworry.He grabbedthephonefromwherehehadleftitonthecouch,andcalledMeara at the station. Therewas no answer. Rick got hisservice radio from his

bedroom and switched it on.He put in a radio call to thedispatchdesk.

“Dispatch, this is4044Denver, requesting code30,repeatcode30,over.”

“10-2, 4044, are youinjured, over,” came thereply.Anoddquestion.

“Negativedispatch,4044reporting officer involved34Swithfatality,over.”

“Roger that 4044, were

youbitten,over?”“Say again dispatch?”

Rickasked.“Repeat for 4044, have

youbeenbitten,over?”“Negativedispatch,but I

needassistance.Canyou…”Rick was interrupted by

the dispatcher: “4044, isanyone else in your vicinitybitten,over,”

With an impatient voice,Rick answered, “Roger

dispatch, an EMTwas bittenby…”Thedispatchercuthimoffagain.

“Whatisthebitevictim’s20,over?”

Rick walked from thebedroom to the balconywindow, lookingout into thenight as he spoke to thedispatcher. A staggeringfigure was making its waydown the street away fromhim.

“Unknown, over.” Thephone rang and Rick askedthedispatcher tohangon forasecond.

“Negative 4044, toomuch traffic. Cannot complywithrequest,recommendyouRTB or find secure locationandwaitforassistance,out.”

What the hell was this?He just told the dispatcherthat he had fatally shotsomeone, and she acted as if

it were no big deal. Find asecure location? What wasshe talking about? Rickanswered the phone,“Hello?”

“Rick,it’sMike.”“Mike, what the fuck is

happening? I just got off theradiowithdispatch.ItoldherI just killed a guy, and shewentonlikeIwasaskingfordirections!” Rick ran hisfingers through his hair and

they came back damp. Herealized he had beensweating.

“Dispatch has been toldto inform all calling officersto either come in, or hunkerdown,” said Mike, “Rick,listen, you’re not coming intomorrow.GetSamandyourdad, and get the fuck out ofDodge.”

“Jesus, what are youtalkingabout?”

“You told me yesterdayyou were having troublegetting in touchwith Brendain Boston? The reason youcouldn’t get through isbecauseBostonisgone.”

Rick tried to cut in,“Mikewha-”

“Shut up and listen,”continued Mike, “Thisdisease that’s hitting the eastcoast isn’t just on the eastcoast, it’s everywhere, here

too. It’s been absolute chaosfor the past few hours,everyoneinthedamncityhascalled911,theboardislituplike a Christmas tree. Abuddy of mine fromUSAMRIID called me anhour ago, he said that theinfectedpeopleareincrediblyviolent, and extremelyresistant to pain and trauma.There is no effective way toincapacitate them other than

todestroythebrain.BostonisgoneRick,I’msorry.”

“What does that mean?”Rickdemanded.

“It means that thesituation in Boston iscompletely out of control.The infected outnumber theuninfected by numbers thatscare the shitoutofme.Thecityisburning,andtheArmy,who’ve been there for a fewdays are pulling out it’s so

bad. Now it’s here. Therehavebeendozensof calls allnight from scared folksclaiming that their neighborsare attacking them. I senteight units to check out asmall riot, and of the sixteencops I sent, one came backalive.”

“Are you fuckingkidding me? Boston gone?FifteencopsinSanFranciscodead?” Rick was

flabbergasted, and he lookedatwhereMrs.McCreedyhadbitten him again, looking forbrokenskin.

“Rick, there’s twenty sixcops we know of that aredead. Nine others are MIA,with six vehicles abandonedor destroyed. Garcia was thecop that came back from theriot. He told me that therewasnoway the rioters couldhave sustained the damage

theydidandlived.Therewasa crowd of 30 or so peoplebanging on a mom n’ popshop window, all units firedtear gas canisters into thecrowd, and walked in withriot shields and gas masks.The rioters attacked andfucking ate them! Tear gaswas useless. Garcia told mehe shot one guy point blankwitha12gauge,andblewtheguy inhalf.Theguycrawled

toward him with half hischest cavity missing. Garciatriedtoboltwhenhisbuddieswere getting slaughtered, buthewasbittenafewtimes.Hewas taken to St. Mary’s. Icalled ten minutes ago tocheckonhim,andStMary’sis totally overrun. There aresomedoctorsandpatientsontheupperfloors,butwecan’tget to them, there are toomany infected.You’re in the

safest part of town, but youstillneedtoleave.Thisshitisnext-level FUBAR, and youneed to bug out. We’re waypasthelpinganyonehere,andit’s time to look to our own.There are sixty eight of usleft, and I’ve called back allunits to command. We’ll tryto get everybody’s families,and make a run for the citylimits picking up whoeverwe’reable to.Ifwecan’tget

out,we’llfallbackandmakeastandhereifweneedto.”

“Where’s the meetingpoint?What’stheplanifyoumakeitoutsidethecity?

“Alcatraz,” answeredMeara. “Gonna have to gorightbyyou toget there,butdon’t wait for us. Get anysupplies and people you canand get to the island by anymeans necessary. Good luckbuddy,andstaysafe.”

“You too man, I’ll seeyou soon,” Rick said, andwith that they both hung up.Hewent to his bedroom andgrabbed two large dufflebags, filling themwith itemsthatheconsidereduseful.Hepulled out his shoulderholster from the closet andstrapped it on, then reloadedtheTaurus to capacity,madesure the safety was on, andjammed it in the holster. He

was bringing outmore shellsfor the shotgun when heheard a knock at the frontdoor. I can’t get two Goddamnminutes? he thought tohimself. Rick picked up theshotgunandwenttothefrontdoor. He waited for a fewseconds, and was turningaround to go continuepacking when the knocksounded again. Rick raisedthe shotgun to the door and

saidquietly:“Whoisit?”“Mr. Barnes? Mr.

Barnes, it’s Chris Rawdingfrom 3A, can I talk to youplease?”

Rick knew there was ayoungguylivingupstairs,buthe didn’t know his name.Quiet and shy, he was acomputer kid or something.Rick looked through thepeephole in the apartmentdoor tomake sure itwas the

neighbor he knew. The copsaw a tall, thin kid about 22or23.Heremovedthesafetybar,andunlockedthedoortolet him in. Chris camethroughthedoorandstoppedquickly when he saw theshotgun.He lookedwarily atRick.“Comein,please,”Ricksaid, pointing the shotgun atthefloor,“I’macop.”Thosethree words always eithercalmed, incensed, or scared

people,andagoodcopcouldalways tell what emotionwould be elicited prior touttering them. Rick washoping for calm and he wasrightonthemoney.

“I know you’re a cop,that’swhyI’mhere.”Thekiddrew his forearm across hisforehead, andRicknoticed itcameawaysweaty.

“What’s the problem, iseverythingok?”

“Yeah, um, the problemis that I’ve seen some weirdstuff lately, and I’m a littlefreaked. I’ve been online forthepastfewhours,andsomeof my online buddies havetold me that this infection isall over. I need somebody totellmewhat’shappening,andyou’re the first person Ithought of. I heard gunshotsearlier, and saw you andsomeEMTsout thewindow.

You shot that guy, was heinfected?

“I hope so.” Ricksighed.“Hewouldn’trespondtoanyverbalcommands,andhe attacked one of theparamedics.Bithim.”

“Bit him?” Chris lookedreally scared. “Two of myfriends said it’s thebites thatinfect you, and if you getinfected,inaveryshorttime,youloseyourmindandattack

anybodynearyou.”“Shit.” Rick said, and

looked at his hand. ThankGod for false teeth. “Alright,it’s Chris, right?” ChrislookedalmostsadwhenRickwasn’t sure of his name.Chris nodded. “What is it Icandoforyouexactly?”

“Uhh…well, you have agun…”

Rick raised hiseyebrows.

“It’s just that… I don’thaveagun,andI’mgettingalittle nervous, so I waswondering if I could hangwithyouforalittlewhile.”

The kid looked like ascared school girl, completewith wide eyes and nervouslipbiting.

“Well then there’s goodnews and bad news, kid,”Ricksaid.“GoodnewsisthatI’m somewhat of a gun

enthusiast, bad news is thatI’mleavingintwohours.”Hehanded Chris a small handgun.Itwasa.32caliberpistolthathehadpurchased forhiswife when he had lived inBoston.Hiswifehadoutrightrefused tocarry it, evenaftershe had gotten certified tocarry a firearm. Rick hadbroughttheweaponwithhimwhen he had moved back toSan Francisco, and the gun

hadsatinhisweaponslocker,unused,sincehisreturn.

“Normally, I wouldn’tgive you a firearm,” he saidto Chris, “but thesecircumstances are anythingbutnormal.”HelookedattheyoungmanasChrisacceptedtheweapon. “Have you usedafirearmbefore?”

Chris looked at thenickle-plated weapon andnoddedintheaffirmative.

“Good.Ihopeyouwon’tneedtouseit.”

Livingontheoutskirtsof

SanFrancisco,Paulwasusedto nightly sirens. But lastnighttheyweregoingapeshit.Paulhadgonetobedatabout9:30,hewasgettingalong inyears,andhelikedgettingupearly,sohewenttobedearly.Sometimeduringthenighthe

woke up needing to pee. Hegot out of bed, and realizedthat his digital clock wasn’ton.Hepressedabuttononhiswatch, was momentarilyblinded by the bright bluebacklight.Paulblinkeda fewtimesandthenfocusedonthenumbers. 3:26 AM. Hestumbled sleepily to thebathroom and took care ofbusiness.Onhiswaybacktobed, he looked out his

window, noticing that thepowerseemedtobeoutinhissection of town. The sodiumarc streetlight at the end ofhis driveway was functionalthough. He looked down theroad, and they all seemed tobe. The light near hisneighbor’s house illuminatedan odd scene. Three peoplewere kneeling over a fourth,taking something from theunfortunatevictim.

Paul was incensed. As aformer police officer, heknewhehadtoreportthis.Hehadrecentlybeeninvolvedinashooting,wherehefiredhispistol at a drugged-out thiefwho was robbing a gasstation. The perp was killed,andPaulwas toted as a herobysome,andasavigilantebyothers. The police hadconfiscated his firearm untiltheinvestigationwasover,so

he was unable to assist theguy getting mugged in thestreetnow.

Whatever the thieveswerestealing,itwasdripping.Thethreeseemedtobeliftingwhatever theywere taking totheir faces, almost like theywereeatingsomething.Itwastoo far away tomakeout, soPaul got his cheap littlebinoculars from hisnightstand. He used the

binoculars to watch the kidsplaybaseballattheparkneartheendofhisstreet.Helovedwatching the kids play ball,he always had, especiallysince his son hadmoved outwhen he had grown. Paulfocusedthebinocularsontheevent unfolding a houseaway.

Thescenewasoneoutofa nightmare. The threekneeling were eating a man.

There was blood all overthem, dripping down theirfaces. Pieces of the victimwere being unceremoniouslystuffed into the greedymouths of the attackers.Onestumbled off with whatlooked like the lowerportionof a leg, but more werecoming,stumblingtowardtheattack scene. Paul initiallythought that maybe some ofthese new folks would help,

but they knelt down andstarted helping themselves toportions of the haplessvictim! Paul knew that thismust be the same thing thatwas happening in Boston.Suddenly, the man on theground, the one being eaten,convulsed. The attackersseemedtopauseforasecond,looking at their dinner.Withthe one stump of an arm thevictimhadleft,hepushedone

of his attackers away! Hetried to get up, but therewasn’t enough of him to doso.Bothlegsweretornaway,and his one arm, which washandless, wasn’t strongenough to push himself offthe pavement. The peoplestood up and shuffled off,bumping into things andtrippingastheywent.

Paul knew he could benextonthemenu.Therewere

screams coming from a fewhouses away now, and thestreet seemed to fillwith theshuffling people, stumblingtoward the source of thesound.

Wheredid theyall comefrom!? There were at leastthirtyof themout therenow,all heading for the housethreeawayfromPaul’sontheother side of the street. Hepicked up the phone to call

his son, but it was dead. Hedidn’t own a cell phone,thinking they were anuisance. There was no wayhewouldmake it past all ofthe people outside if heattemptedtorunforit.Wherewouldhegoanyway?Rick’shouse was too far away…Rick! Rick would come forhim. Paul figured he wouldhide in his basement, and bequietuntilhissonarrived.He

wasn’t one to hide whileotherswereindanger,buthehad no weapons, and thereweretoomanyoftheinfectedoutside. That’s what theymust be, infected. As theimplicationsofthatcaughtupwithhim,he felt the icygripof terror. A thump on hisfarmer’s porch furthered theemotion. If he hadn’t hadtaken a whizz five minutesbefore he would have pissed

himself.Someshufflingstepson the porch, and a thud onhis door sealed the deal. Hehurriedtothebasementdoor,stopping on the top step. Heshutthedoorbehindhim,andput two shovel handlescrosswise across the door,pinning them against thesurface with the junk on thebasement side of the door.Thebarricadewouldholdfora few minutes at most. Paul

quietly walked down thestairs and peeked out hisbasement window. Hecouldn’t see much becausethe window was small, noteven two feet wide and halfthatinheight.Therewasalsoahedgedividinghissideyardfromhisneighbor’s.Hecouldsee the shuffling feet of theinfected in the glow of thestreetlightthroughtheboughsof the hedge. There were

many.Paul could hear a

consistent pounding on thefront door of his house. Helooked up the fifteen feet ofstairsatthepoorly-barricadeddoor.Itwasweakatbest,butit was all he had. Thepounding stopped, and hebreathed a sigh of relief. Hesat on the bottom step andsurveyed his surroundings.There were a few tools he

could use as bludgeoningweapons, but that meant hewould need to get close,possibly infecting himself ifhegotinfectedfluidsonhim.Hereallydidn’twant that,ashe wasn’t sure how thisdisease was transmitted, andit seemed incrediblycontagious.Paulputhisheadin his hands to think. Helooked up at the basementwindow, and almost

screamed.A pair of feet hadappeared right outside thewindow.Thefeet trudgedoffto his back yard, and hewasonceagainaloneinthedark.

Some hours later, heheard screaming from outfront.Hewenttothewindowand saw that anotherunfortunate victim had beentaken down under a streetlight. Why the hell waseveryone standing under the

damn street lights, when theshadowsweresomuchsafer?Idiots. Paul saw somemovement in his hedge, butcouldn’t make out what itwas. He backed away fromthe window, but not beforesomething interesting cameintoview…

“Chris,onyoursix!”“What?”“BEHINDYOU!”Chris turned in time to

seeagirlwholookedtobeinher late teens, with horriblelacerationsonherthroatlurchat him with bloody armsreaching. He brought up his

.32 pistol and fired, but shewas on him before he couldget it above her waist. Chrisineffectively shot her in thestomach. She ploughed intohim and they both wentdown, with her on top. Hedropped the gun and reachedfor her throat with bothhands. She had a vise-likegrip on his shirt, and wasgrowling and hissing, tryingto bite him the whole time.

Hepushedherheadupwithamighty shove, and the leftside of her head explodedoutward like a squeezedgrape.Amicrosecondlaterheheardaloudreport.

“GETUP!There’smorecoming!”Rick shouted.Rickand Sam were beside Rick’sunmarked police CrownVictoria, Sam covering herears with both hands. Rickwas still sighting targets

through the ACOG of hissemi-automatic AR15A3. Heplugged an elderly man,nakedexceptforblacksocks.The man toppled backwardswithaholeinhisforehead.

The plan had beensimple: Load up what theycould in duffle bags, and getto the car. They weren’t tensteps out the door whenChris’s duffle strap snaggedonawrought iron tree-fence,

and he fell backwards. Hesucceeded in freeing thestrap, but not before a fewinfected had seen him. Rickdidn’tnoticethisuntilhewasfifty feetawayat thecarandfoundChrismissing. By thistime,theinfectedwerealmoston Chris, and Rick had tofire.

Chris struggled loose ofthe dead weight on top ofhim, picked up his gun and

duffle, and ran to theCrownVic.

Rick put Sam in thefront, and the gear in theback, while Chris jumped inthe passenger side andquickly slammed the doorshut.

“Mr. Barnes,” he said,“We’re drawing a crowd,hurry!”

Rick shut the back door,and hopped in the driver’s

seat. He fumbled with thekeys for a precious twoseconds,andthatwasenoughfor the dead crowd. Rickstarted the car and put it inreverse.Ashewasturninghishead to look behind him, abloody palm smacked thedriver’ssidewindow,leavingaredsmear.

“Buckleup,honey,”RicktoldSam.Rick threw the carinto reverse and accelerated

quickly, catching anunfortunate undead behindthe car and grinding it underthe wheels. They left theapartment building behind,and travelled south towardthefreeway.

“No plan survivescontact with the enemy…”Rick said while shaking hishead.

“Moltke the Elder,”Chrisvolunteered.

“What?”askedRick.“Moltke the Elder, he

was the onewho coined thatphrase, he was a GermanFieldMarshal.”

“Wow, bet you kickedbuttonJeopardy,huh?”

“Iwasapoli-scimajor.”Rick was confused.

“Thought you were acomputerguy?”

“Iam.Doyouknowhowhardit is tofinda jobwitha

political science degree?Computers were a hobby forme, and I turned my hobbyintoacareer.”

Chris changed thesubject, “There’s goo onyou,”pointingtoanastystainon Rick’s shirt. Chrisrummaged through a dufflewhiletheydroveandcameupwith a multi-coloredHawaiian shirt. He gave theshirt to Rick, andwhen they

had a second with no deadnear, Rick stopped the car,carefully took off the ruinedT-shirt,soasnottogetanyofthebloodnearhisface,rolledthe window down, andpitched it out. He grabbedsome McDonalds’ napkinsfrom the door pocket andwiped the offendingmaterialoff of him. He pitched thesoiled napkins out thewindow after the T-shirt,

closed the window anddonned the Hawaiian shirt.The whole event took lessthan a minute, and that wasenough to see five infectedcoming at them fromdifferent directions. Rickshook his head and droveaway.

Thick black smoke wasbillowing up from the streetto the right, and as Rickcrested the one of San

Francisco’s many hilledstreets, he could see the citywasinshambles.Atleastfourenormous fires raged in theheartofthecity,withsmallerones dotting the outskirts.There were dozens of carcrashes,andpeopleseemedtobe fleeing in all directions,somewith luggageandsmallchildren in tow.Hundreds ofshambling figures werelurching after any living

humanseen.Howcoulditfallapart so fast? Rick thought.“My God…” Chris said,surveying the scene. At thebottomofthehill,therewasamanwith a shotgun shootingeverything in sight. It was apump-shotgun, and he had aboxofshellsathisfeet.Therewere 8 bodies around him,and more were approaching.Hewas screaming somethingunintelligible as he fired. A

bleeding woman ran up tohim screaming for help, andhe jacked a shell into thechamber and shot her in theleft shoulder. She fell on herback,andthensatup,withouther left arm. She looked atwherehershoulderusedtobeand started screaming. Themanshotherinthechest,andshe flew back, nowunmoving. The man stoodoverherfiringintoagroupof

about half a dozen infected.Hegottwobeforetheweaponclicked empty. He tried toreload, but the rest of thecreaturesgottohimandtookhim down. Rick didn’t wanttogetdelayanylonger,sohetook a left and gunned itdownthestreet.Chrislookedbackandwashorrifiedtoseethe shot-gunned womantaking bites out of her ownseveredarm.

They were on a widestreet, with three storybuildingsoneitherside.Acarhad smacked into a utilitypoleahead,shearingitinhalf,and had travelled a littlefarther into a fire hydrant.Ageyserofwaterwasshootingintotheair,thewaterrunningdown the hill. A live wirefrom the utility pole wasspitting and sparking, justabove the cascading water.

“Wecan’tgothisway,”Ricksaid, but when he looked inthe mirror, he could see acrowd of twenty or soinfected coming frombehind.

“Hang on,” he yelled.“I’ve got to bust through!”Rick slammed the car intoreverse, and movedcautiouslybackwardsatabouttenmilesperhour.

“Why don’t you floor it

and run them over?” beggedChris.

“Because if we hit themgoing too fast,wecould losecontrol!”

TheCrownVicsmackedinto the first of the infectedand rolled easily over thebody. As if to illustrateRick’s point, the next twowentuponthetrunk,andthecar slowed. The tires startedto slip on something, and

their progress slowed evenfurther. Palms and fistspounded the windows andsheet metal of the car. Rickwas looking backward as hetried to push the car throughthe crowd. He had his armover thebackofhis seat andwas pressing hard on theaccelerator, but he wasn’tmoving backwards. The reartires were spinning fasternow, losing traction. A palm

smacked against thepassenger side window, andSam screamed. Anothersmack, and a spider webcrackappeared.Chrispointedhis gun at the window.“DON’T SHOOT!” Rickscreamed. Chris turned andlookedatRick,hiseyeswide.Three undead had clamberedontothehoodofthecarandwere pounding on thewindshield. Rick threw the

carintodriveandjammedhisfoot on the accelerator. Theymovedforwardalittleatfirst,then shot forward quickly.Oneundeadfelloffthehood,but the other two didn’t letgo. Rick went about thirtyfeet and jammed the brakeson. The two hangers-on shotforward and into the street,the water from the hydrantdousingthemboth.Asoneofthemstoodup,hehitthelive

wire,andbegantodance.Theotherwashalfway tohis feetwhen his companionconnected the wire and thepuddle,electrifyingtheentirestreet. The one who hit thewire caught fire, and afterabout a second and a half,theybothfelldownsmoking.

Rick threw the car intoreverse again and floored it.Heplowedthroughthegroupof undead and they went

flying in all directions. Thecarspunhardtotheright,andRickfeltthewheelpulloutofhis hands. The Crown Viccompleted its spinandendedup sideways against astorefront. Many stumblingforms approached from bothdirections. Rick was dazedfrom the impact. When hecollectedhiswits, agroupofeleven dead had surroundedthecar,smackingthedriver’s

side windows and the hood.One balled its fist andpunchedtherearwindow.Onthe second punch, thewindow cracked. RickreachedinthebacktogettheSPAS-12,andafilthy,bloodyhandsmashedahole throughthebackwindowandgrabbedhis arm. Sam started crying,andChriswashollering.Ricktriedtoshakeofftheattackerpullingawayasbesthecould,

the undead woman’s fleshcoming away in long stripsagainst the shards of brokensafety glass. The rest of thewindow gave way, and thecreature started climbingthrough.

The front windowcracked, and Chris leanedover and shot through thewindow into the face of anundead policeman, leaving abullet hole in the glass. The

shotwas loud in the car, butChris shifted and fired around into the head of thewoman pulling on Rick’sarm.Thefrontwindowcavedin and a former hospitalworker in scrubs reached inand grabbed Rick. A youngboy, missing the left side ofhis face was climbing in thebackwindow.

Chris shot the kid in theeye, and it fellwhere itwas,

partially blocking the rearwindow. Rick was fightingwith the hospital workerwhen a deep bass hornsounded behind them. Someofthedeadlookeduptoseeagreen andwhite city garbagetruckbarrelling toward them.The truck sideswiped theCrownVic,breakingthedeadorderly’s grip on Rick, andpushingitthirtyfeetdowntheroad. A backup alarm

sounded, and the garbagetruckbackedup, crushing alldead in its path. The truckmoved forward again,obliterating anything left. Ahuge man hopped out of thevehiclewitha twofootpieceofrebarinhisfist.Hecalmlywalked across the street andbrought therebararoundinasideways arc, smacking thelast undead in the immediateareainthehead.Therewasa

sickening crunch, and theformerbutcherdroppedlikeasackofpotatoes.

Themanwalked over totheCrownVicandlookedin.

“Name’s Dallas, youcomin’?” The man had anunmistakablesoutherndrawl.

RickandChrislookedateachother, andgrabbed theirstuff. “C’mon honey, we’regetting out of here,” Ricksaid,pushingthedooropen.

Rick,Chris,andSamgotout of the car and ran to thetruck. Rick climbed up andtossed his bag in, thengrabbed Sam and helped herup.Dallas got in the driver’sside. “You next, kid,” Ricksaid to Chris, “I’ll take theoutside.”Dallasput the truckin gear and started forward.ChrishadSamonhislap,andRick had the AR-15 acrosshislap.

It was cramped butfunctional.

“Didja hit an armory orsomethin’?” Dallas asked nooneinparticular.

“No,I’macop.”“Mmm,” murmured

Dallas. “Can’t say as I likecopsmuch.”

“No?” asked Rick whilereloadingamagazine.

“Nope, my daddy was aTexasRanger.Meanest SOB

I ever did come across, andI’vebeenaroun’.”

Sam put her hand onDallas’ arm, “My daddy isnicesir,Ipromise.”

Dallas looked at herthoughtfully, “Well thenwe’ll get along fine, me an’him.”

He put the truck in gearandstartedforward.

“There’s a power linedown in some water ahead,

youmight want to avoid it.”Christoldhim.

“I might just,” Dallasreturned. “You know, it’scustomarywhereI’mfromtointroduce yourself to a manwho justpulledyour fishoutofthefire.”

“I’m Chris, and this isRickandSam.”

“Pleasure,”Dallassaidashe backed the truck up. Hegot the truck turned around

and started back the way hecame.

“Ineedtogetmyfather,”Ricksaid.

“Don’t see him fittin’ inhere,” said Dallas matter-of-factly.“We’reallfullup.”

“Doesn’tmatter,I’vegotto go get him,” Rick said inanangrytone.

“Keep your hair onofficer,” returnedDallaswitha sneer. “We’ll find a way.

Whereishe?“He lives on 3rd Street ,

nearUCSF.”Dallasappliedthebrakes

and lookedRick in the eyes.“Nearthecollege?”

“Yeah.” Rick’s browcreased.“Why?”

Dallas raised hiseyebrows and let out a bigsigh.“Because that’swhereIcamefrom.It’sabsoluteHell.There’s thousands of these

violent folksdownthere,andthe roads are pretty muchimpassablebecauseo’wrecksan’ abandoned vehicles.That’s where all the damnhospitals are, and where dofolksgowhenthey’resick,orhurt,or…bit?”

“Don’t care,” Ricksaid,“I’mgettinghim.”

Dallas shook hishead,“Yougonnabringyourlittle girl down there? Is that

the plan? I’m tellin’ you,weneedsomethin’moreconcretethan “I’m gettin’ him”, orwe’re all dead. Her too,”Dallassaid,jerkinghisthumbat Sam. “You might wannasave your pops, but are youwillin’tokillyourdaughtert’doit?”

“No,” said Rick lookingdistant,“I’mnot.Plusmydadwould get pissed if I putSam’s life in danger to save

hiswrinklyass.”“Good,thenwe’reonthe

same page.” There was athump on the side of thetruck, and Dallas looked outthe window. “One sec.” Hepushed the door open hardand knocked over a lonezombie. Ironically, thezombie wore a trashcollector’s uniform. Dallasgrabbedhisrebarandjumpedout of the truck. As the

creature was getting to itsfeet, Dallas swung the rebarand connected with its head.It fell, and lay thereunmoving. Dallas spat on itand said: “Twice killedasshole.” He looked behindthe truck and could see asmall crowd of deadlumbering toward him about50 feet away.Climbing backinthetruck,hetookonemorebackward glance at the

oncoming mob. “Damn,they’relikecockroaches.”

Dallas put the truck ingear and drove forward.“We’llneedtogetusanothervehicle,”hesaid,“Thisistoocrampedasitis,andwecan’tfit your pa in here with ustoo.”

“That’s true,” Rickagreed, “There’s adealershipaquartermileupthatway.”

“Officer,youdon’tmean

to say you’re gonna steal acar do you?” Dallas askedpointedly.

Samlookedwide-eyedatherfather.

“Appropriate, sir,” Rickshotbackwithawidegrin.

Hapscomb’s used car lot

was surroundedbya six-footchain link fence, completewith razor wire at the top.The lot had about sixty carsin various states of repair.The newer models weretoward the front of the lot,whiletheclunkerswereoffto

the sideandback.Therewasa narrow, two-story buildingthat housed offices at theback of the lot. Next to thatwasabeat-upfourcargarage,alsowithasecondstory.Thelot looked like ithadn’tbeenopeninafewdays,andevenbetter, it looked devoid ofinfected. Dallas drove thegarbage truck up to the gate.There were no infectedcoming for them, but they

would be here soon enough,as the big diesel truck madequite a racket. Rick jumpedout of the truck, carefullylooking around for infected.Dallas jumped out too, andlooked at the thick chainlocking the gate. Hewent tothe side of the truck andopened a panel. He cameback in a few seconds withsome bolt cutters, and wasthrough the lock in five

seconds.“Fifty dollar chain and a

two dollar lock,” Dallasrolledhiseyes,“Stupid.”Thegatewasarolltype,andtheybothrolledittotheleftsothetruck could get in. Chrisdrove the truckon to the lot,and Rick closed the gate.Dallas took the chain andwrapped it around the gatepolesafewtimes,finishingitinachain-knot.“Shouldkeep

‘em out unless they go rightforthechain.”

Dallas andRick climbedback in the truck, Chrissliding to the middle seatagain. “You’re gonna stay inthe truck and watch Sam.”Rick said to Chris. “Callmeon this,” Rick said as hefishedasmallradiooutofhisduffleandhandeditover,“ifyouseeanyofthemclimbingthe fence, or if there are any

insidethatwedidn’tsee.”“Or if there’smore than

fifty that show up,” addedDallas.“Don’twantthemtoothickat thegatewhenwetrytoleave.”

Dallas turned the truckaround so that the front of itwasfacingthegate,andthenhebackedthevehicleascloseto the office as he could.Rows of used vehicles werestretched out closer to the

office, there was a ten footwalking path, but the truckcouldgonofurtherback.

“I’m on channel six,”Rick told Chris, “Chris isgonna watch you for aminute, kiddo,” he said toSam. “Be good and do whathesays.”

Samnoddedandheldherstuffed tiger tight,“CarefulDaddy.”

Rick handed Dallas the

SPAS-12,andhegrabbedtheAR-15.Theybothhoppedoutof the truck, and Rick slungtherifleoverhisshoulder.Hepulled out his Taurus, andtheybothwalkedthelast100feet or so to the building,checking behind each row ofcrappy cars as they went.Ricklookedright,andDallasleft. “I think that Durangowill do nicely,” said Rickpointing to a blue Dodge. “I

even like the color.” TheSUVhad aLIKENEW signon it, and it was priced at$8995.

“Might wanna grab theHummer there,chief,”Dallassaidpointingbacktowardthefront of the lot. A shinyyellow Hummer was sittingin the early morning sun. Ithad tinted windows, and thesun gleamed off the chromeon the rear bumper and

mirrors. The vehicle was onone of those display ramps,with the nose of the SUVpointingata45degreeangle.

“Didn’t see that pullingin,damnthat’snice.”

“Some cop there,Sherlock,” chided Dallas,“Biggestdamnthingoutherenexttomytrashtruck.”

Rick smiled and theycontinued toward the office.“How old are they?” Dallas

asked.“Who?”“Yourkids,howold?”“Kids?” asked Rick,

confused.“Oh,Chrisisn’tmyson;Ijustmethimlastnight.Sam is eight. Chris livesabove me, he’s a computertechguyorsomething.”

“Huh. Thought he wasaboutseventeen,gofigure.”

“Uhoh...”Dallassaidastheynearedthefrontdoors.It

wasadoubledoorsetup,andthere was a blood smearacrosstheleftglassdoor, theright door was smashed in.Thefirsttenfeetinsideoftheofficewas illuminatedby thedoors, and a few windows,but towards the back, it wasnothing but inky blackness.“Cover,”Rickwhispered.

Dallas moved to thebroken door and pulled itopenwhileRickwentonone

kneeinafiringstance.Dallaskept the door open and Rickstood and walked through.Dallas stepped in after,shotgun at the ready. Therewas a wooden rack full ofkeys,andattheverytopwasonemarked“Display.”Dallasgrabbed the keys, and theyhad“Hummer”engravedonametaltag.“Lookslikethisis--” he started to say, andimmediately three zombies

lurched out of two differentdoors down the hall,shamblingstraighttowardtheliving men. They began tomoan, as they staggeredtoward the humans. Rickbrought his rifle to hisshoulder in a firing position,butDallasputhishandontherifle barrel and pushed downalittle.

“Let’s take this outside,Bubba.”

Rick nodded and theybackedout the doorwith theundead following from aboutfifteenfeet.“Coverme,OK?”Dallas said. Rick noddedagain.Dallasmovedforward,quickly for someone so big,and used his shotgun butt tofell the first undead. Theother two kept coming, andhedidthesametoboth.Theyeach started to get up again,soDallashandedtheshottyto

Rick and brought out hisrebar.Itwasoverinlessthanthirty seconds, and Dallaswiped his dripping rebar onthe shirt of oneof the twice-dead creatures. They walkedback to the garbage truckdiscussingtheirplan.

“Well, at least we’ll bemore comfortable in thathugeyellowtank,”Ricksaid,indicatingtheHummerwithanod.

“Yeah, about that,”Dallas started, “I’m kindapartial to my garbage truck.It’s high off the ground, andI’m pretty sure I could plowthroughmostcrowdsofthemfolks,” Dallas pointed to thegate, where eleven undeadhad congregated. “Think Imightjustkeepherforabit.”

“Ok, I’ll take Chris andSamwithmeintheHummer,and you can follow,” Rick

said.“Or, you could gimme

that radio, and I could plowthe way for you, with yougivin’medirectionswhilewedrive.”

“Good idea,” Rickagreed.“ThefinaldestinationisAlcatraz, via the ship yardat theendof3rd street. Ifwegetseparated,meetusthere.”

“Now that’s a goodidea,” Dallas told him, “you

gotaboat?“Workingonit.”“Wow, stealin’ a

Hummer and a boat in thesame day? Gonna have totake this up with yoursuperiors.”

“Hopefully we’ll bedoing some time together onTheRock,youandme,”Ricklaughed.

“And I always said Hellwould freeze over before I

didanythingdumbenoughtogotoprison.”

Chris stuck his head outthewindow,“Anytimefellas,look at that,” he pointedtowardahugecrowdcomingtoward them from the south.“Canwegonow?”

“Chris, you andSamarecoming with me in theHummer, help Sam out andgrabthebags.”

Rick hopped up into the

Hummer’s driver side andstarted the engine. Thevehicle had a quarter of atankofgas,plenty toget thethreemilestohisdad’shouseand the few miles to theshipyardafterthat.Hebackedit off the display ramp, andpulled up alongside thegarbage truck. “Let’sgo,”hetoldSamandChris.

“What about Mr.Dallas?”askedSam.

“He’s going to use thegarbage truck to help us getthrough.”

Once everybody was inand buckled up, Rick calledDallas on the radio. “Let’smove, take a right and headnorth.”

Dallas didn’t respond,but the garbage truckmovedforward. The gate was juststarting to sag from thecombined weight of sixteen

undead.Thelargercrowdwaslumbering toward them, twohundredfeetaway.Dallashitthe gate at about five milesperhour,andbentitoutward,knocking the undead to theground. He put it in secondgear, and the truck jerkedforward. He ran over sixprone forms, their bodiesbreaking like twigsunder theframe of the big truck. Rickfollowed closely behind.

They sped down the road,with undead coming at themfrom every direction. Dallasstarted slowing down, andRicktoldhimtotakethenextright.Dallasstoppedthetruckand pointed out the windowtotheleft.Inthesecondstorywindow of a consignmentshopwasawomanfranticallywavingherarms.Theundeadwerethininthisarea,soRickstopped and got out of the

vehicle with his AR-15. Hedropped two infected withsingle shots to the head,moving toward the brokendooroftheshop.

“No, don’t!” the womanscreamed. “There’s a bunchof them inside!”She threwaknapsack and two bags outthewindow.Rick caught thefirstheavybag,andtheothertwolandedonthestreet.

“Come on lady, we’ve

got to go,” Rick yelled,shouldering one of the bags.An undead staggered out ofthebrokenshopdoor,andheshot it in the throat. Itstumbled backward, butdidn’t go down. His secondshothit itbelow the lefteye,anditfellbackintotheshop.There were others behind it,and Rick walked forward,shooting single shots. Thewoman dangled out the

window, and dropped fifteenfeet to the street, rolling asshe hit the ground. It was amoment before she got up,but she ran toRick and theypickedupabageachandrantotheHummer.Athunderousboom echoed through thestreet,andanundeadnearthegarbage truck flewbackwards. Dallas firedanothershellfromtheSPAS-12, and the head of a former

business man disappeared insplash of crimson. Chrisstepped out of the Hummerand fired at another undeadsneaking up onDallas’ blindside. He missed, and shotagain, grazing it in the backoftheshoulder.

The woman got in thebackseatoftheHummer,andChris and Rick got in too.“Let’s move Dallas, we gother,”Ricksaidintotheradio.

Againtherewasnoresponse,but the garbage truck onceagainlurchedforward.

“Thank you so much! Ithought I was dead for sure,theywerebreakingdownmydoor. I had been hidingupstairsatmyworkforhours,but they found me! Theykilledmy boss thismorning,itwashorrible.”

“It’sok,”saidChris,“weweren’t going to leave you.

What’syourname?”“Anna,” she said, “Anna

Hargis.”“Hi Anna, my name’s

Chris, and this is Rick andSam.Theguy in thegarbagetruck is Dallas, he’s the onewhosawyou.”

“ThankGodforyouall.”“Don’t thankusyet,you

might not like what we’reabout to do,” said Rick.“Whenwestop,I’mgoingto

getout,runinthehouse,andget my father. You’re goingtostayandwatchSam.Chris,giveheryourgun. I justmetyou,Anna,butIhavetotrustyou.Watchmylittlegirl.I’mleavingthekeyswithyouandChris,andifwe’renotoutinthreeminutes, you guys takeSamandget to the shipyardattheendof3rdstreet.Gettoa boat and get to Alcatraz.Chris, you jump out too, but

stay near the car, and coverit.”

Anna swallowed hard.“I’ve never shot anyonebefore.”

“Hopefully you won’thave to today,”Chris said toher.

“Anna,” Rick said withmenace,“IfIcomeoutinlessthan three minutes, and theHummer is gone, I will findyou.There’snoplaceforyou

to hide.” Anna noddedquickly.

They continued, Dallasdriving over any undead inhispath,withRickprovidingdirections. They got to theend of Rick’s father’s street,andRickcalledDallasagain.“Dallas,hishouseisthethirdfromtheendofthestreet,bythe playground.Youwant tostir some trouble before wegetthere?”

Thehornon thegarbagetruckblaredfor fiveseconds,and it moved forwardquickly.The truck shotawayfrom the Hummer, and ranover everything in its path,picking up speed as it flewdown the street. Dallas haddestroyed seventeen undeadin the road before theHummer pulled up to Rick’sdad’s house. The garbagetruck turned a corner at the

end of the road, anddisappeared from view, thebigdieselenginefadinginthedistance.

Rick and Chris hurriedoutoftheHummer,andAnnamoved into the driver’s seat.Shehadneverbeensoscared.There were eight undeadwithin a hundred feet. Rickgave Chris the Taurus, andtoldChristowaitoutsideandkill anything that got close.

“If she tries to leave,” hethumbedatAnna,“stopher.”

The door to his father’shousewasstill intact,but thefront picture window wasbroken in. Rick heard theTaurusbarkasherantowardthe door, but he didn’t havetime to look around. Heyelled“DAD!”andranupthefontthreesteps,kickingatthedoor. The second kicksplintered the frame, and the

door opened to reveal anundead shambling towardRick. He dispatched it, andwent through the doorway.He could see six creaturescrowding the broken door tothe basement. “DAD,” heyelled, “DAD!” Two of thethings turned to him and hefired twice, killing both. Hekept firing on single shot,untilnoundeadwereleft.Hecould hear the Taurus firing

outside.Rickranacrosstheroom

and entered the doorway,suddenlycomingfacetofacewith a dead paramedic. Rickquickly lashed out with thebutt of his rifle, catching thething under the chin. Thecreature’shead snappedbackand it fell backwards downthe stairs. Its fall wasimpeded by a few dead thatwerealreadycrumpledonthe

steps. The creature tried torise, but a large pipewrenchcame crashing down on itsforehead. Rick’s father wasstanding there winded,holding a twenty inchmonkey wrench which wasdrippingwithgore.

“Dad!Dad,let’sgo!”“Careful Rick, the

backyard is full of them!”Rick’s dad yelled. Rickchangedmagazines,dropping

the almost expended mag inhis vest pocket, and slappingthe new one home.He cametwo thirds of the way downthe stairs, and held his handout to his father. The olderman grabbed his son’s handand climbed over the fourcreatures he had dispatchedwith his wrench. They madeit quickly up the stairs, andPaulpausedatthetoplookingbackdowntheflight.“C’mon

Dad, we gotta go!” Rickbarked.

“Rick, they’re coming!”Anna said, her voice barelyaudible.

Rick’s dad was sayingsomething while pointing tothe side yard, but Rick wasfocusedongettingbacktothecar. Rick and his father flewout the front door, Ricktaking quick stock of hissurroundings.Therewerefive

bodies on the ground,evidentlydestroyedbyChris.Morewerecoming.AsChriswas reloading, Anna firedfromher seat at one creaturethatgottooclose.Shehititinthe throat and promptlyleaned out the window andthrew up. Rick brought hisAR-15 to his shoulder andfired twice in rapidsuccession, killing the thingAnna had failed to bring

down, and another undead.He ran to the driver’s sideand toldAnna tomove over.“I’ll drive,” said Rick, “mywheels.”Chris helpedRick’sdad into the back seat, andgotinhimself.

“Grandpa!”yelledSam.“Oh Little One, it’s so

good to see you, I thought Imight not get the chanceagain.” Rick’s father huggedhertight.

“What are you talkingabout oldman?” askedRick.“I told you I would be overthismorningwithSam.”

Rick accelerated downthestreet.

“Shutit,Sonny-boy,”hisfather said, “and Don Hocalled, he wants his shirtback.Whoareyourfriends?”

Chris and Annaintroduced themselves. “YoucancallmePaul,”he said to

them, “Now somebodygimme something to shootwith.”

Chris rummaged throughaduffle andcameoutwitha9mmSigSauerP229.

“Thanks,” said Paul,“‘courseI toldhimtoget the.357model,andnotthislittlesissy-pistol.”

“I could always bringyoubackhomeandgiveyoua rolled newspaper to defend

yourself with,” Rick saidsmiling.

“Prolly domore damagethan this thing. Looks like adamn toy. I miss my Colt,”moanedPaul.

Rick continued smilingashedrovenorth.

7“Dallas? Dallas, do you

read? Still nothing.” Rickweaved in and out ofabandonedandwreckedcars.

The occasional undeadstaggeredintothepathof theHummer only to be knockedbackorgodownunderneath,

butotherwisethestreetsweredeserted.

Rickloweredthewalkie-talkieandlookedatSam.Shelooked scared and wasrubbing the head of her littlestuffed tiger. He thought shewas being very brave duringan event that had probablycrippled the minds of many.Theycrestedanotherhillandthesightbeforethemwasonestraight out of Hell. A city

bus was jutting out from abuilding, the front of it threefeet in. It must have crashedgoing fairly slowly. Therewasacrowdofseventyorsoundeadbangingon the sides,with others milling about.Many of the crowd werekneeling over unmovingforms, ripping pieces awayand stuffing the gory prizesintotheirfaces.

“Howdowehelpthem?”

askedPaul.“We can’t, Dad, look in

the windows.” There werenumerousstaggeringformsinthebus,bloodsplashedacrossafewofthewindows,andthebuswas smoking fromunderthe hood. “They’re gone,”addedRick.

The mob had apparentlyheard the Hummer’s enginebecausesomeof themturnedaround and began staggering

toward the survivors. Thecreatures who noticed begantheir shrill cries and moans,alerting the whole group. Inseconds, a huge mob ofinfected was shuffling theirwaytoalatebreakfast.

“Timetogo,”Annasaid.Rick did a three point

turn, andwent back the waytheyhad come.Several turnslater, and they were againheadingnorth.Afterlessthan

two minutes of travel, theycame upon a hastilyassembled roadblock ofpolicecars.Therewasnooneinsight,deadoralive,buttheplacewasamess,withbloodand bullet cartridgeseverywhere.

“Dammit,” Rickwhispered. He took anotherleft and handed the radio toAnna. “See if you can raiseDallas,” he asked her. She

triedforseveralminutestonoavail. They rounded a cornerand yet another crowd ofundead surged in theirdirection. “This isn’tworking,” admitted Rick.“The damn marina is a milefromhere,buteverydirectionisblocked.”

“We’re gonna have tohole up someplace,” Paulsaid.

“I don’t want to get

trapped,Dad.”“We’realready trapped,”

Paul said, “We can’t get towhere we got to go, so let’sfindsomeplaceandhideforaspell.”

Rick turned the cararound yet again and flooredit.Hewentaboutfourblocksandstoppedinfrontofanoldmovietheater.Therewerenodead in sight. The marqueeread Double Creature

Feature: The Blob, CreatureFrom the Black Lagoon.“Let’s try this,” he said andgotout.“Anna,slideoverandget behind the wheel.” Shedidas shewas toldandRickran to the front doors. Theywerelockedtight.Therewereno windows on the groundlevel. The left side of thetheaterbuttedagainstanotherbuilding, and the right had atwelve foot wide alley

between it and thenextwall.Thealleyhadasixfootchainlink fenceblockingaccess. Ittoowas securedwithachainand padlock. The small areaheld some dumpsters andtrash cans. There was a fireescape in the center of thebuilding, which ran by somewindows and all the way totheroof.Rickranbacktothecar.

“I’m going to look for a

way in. Take off if it getscrowded, and try to get backunnoticed.”

“I’m coming with you,”Chris said getting out of theHummer.The pair ran to thefence and scaled it quickly,dropping soundlessly to theother side. Rick made amental note that this kidmight just be good to havearound. They movedcautiously toward the

dumpsters. Rick checkedbehind them both,discovering nothing. Therewasanotherchainlinkgateatthe other end of the alley.“Give me a hand,” RickaskedChris.Rick shoulderedhisAR-15, andChrisput theTaurus in the frontpocketofhisjeans.Theypushedabluedumpster a few feet until itwas under the fire escape’sladder.Thistypeofdumpster

had two plastic side panels,andtwoplasticcoversonthetop for easy access, but theywouldn’t hold either manwhen stood upon. Rickclimbedon thedumpsterandstood on the edge. His handon the wall, he helped Chrisup.AsChrisbalancedon thedumpster, with one hand onthe fireescape ladder,oneofthe plastic flip-covers burstopen,andanundeadgrabbed

Rick’s leg. The creature bitdown hard on the back ofRick’s boot, right over hisAchilles tendon and Rickyelped, losing his balance,then tumbling to the asphaltof the alley. Chris, standingonthethreeinchsteelbalancebeam, let go of the ladder,drew the Taurus and firedpoint blank into the thing’sface. The creature’s headjerkedbackandredchunksof

skulleruptedfromthebackofit.Thekickof thegun threwChrisoffthedumpsterandhelandedon his back.Rick fellnext to him, landing hard onhis knee. A cloud of fliesblossomed from thedumpster.

“Ow,”saidChris.Rick held his knee and

rocked on the ground for asecond.“YouOK?”heaskedChris.

Chris rubbed thebackofhis head and sat up. “No.There are dead things tryingto eat us. I am not OK.”Hestoodupandheldahandoutto Rick. Rick accepted thehandandwincedashe stoodup.

“Shit, Imessedmy kneeup but good.” There wasblood oozing from his pantleg, and it trickled down hisboot. “Plan hasn’t changed

though, we got to get inthere.”Rick flicked theLEDlight on his AR-15. He slidthesidepanelofthedumpsteropen and shined the lightinside. The twice deadcreature was the onlyoccupant, save about athousand happy flies. Theflies shot out of the panel inanotherblackcloud,zoomingaway like F14s on a sortie.Satisfied that the dumpster

was clear of any moreinfected, Rick told Chris togo for the ladder. It waslocked in the up position.Rick boostedChris on to thedumpster and Chris gainedaccess. Standing on the firstflightoffireescape,heundidtheslidelockatthetopoftheladder.Itcamecrashingdownto the pavement, making atremendous noise in therelative quiet of the alley.

Rickslowlyclimbedwithhiswounded knee. When hereached the first landing,Chris pulled the ladder intothe locked position. Twoundeadwereatthefarendofthe alley now, looking atthem with hungry eyes, andclawingatthechainlink.

Thebottomoffourfloorsof windows was locked, soRickbrokeitwiththebuttofhisrifle,shininghislightinto

the building. The lightshowed a short corridor thatled to a stairway. The duoclimbed in the window andcautiously moved to thestairs.Thestairswentupanddown, and opened up into abalcony overlooking thetheater. It looked deserted,buttheycouldn’tseethebackfew rows. Both men movedquickly down the stairs,whichendedinabluedouble

swinging door with arectangular window. Ricklooked through the windowinto a lobby. It looked clear.He eased the door open andpanned the light around.Therewasaconcessionstandwithacoupleofdoorsbehindit,aspiralstaircasegoingup,the doors to the theater, andthe exterior doors. The mencrossedthelobbytothefrontdoors. The doors were the

push-bar type, and Ricklistened carefully for asecond, then opened one ofthem wide, leading with hisrifle.TheHummerwasthere,gleamingshinyyellow in themorning sun.Rick toldChristoholdthedooropen,andherantothevehicle.

“C’mon, let’s getinside!” he told everyone.AnnaandPaulgotoutof thecar and shouldered some

baggage. Rick grabbed Samand she came alongwith herbackpack.Theyallgotinsidebefore anything unsettlinghappened.

Therewerewindows tenfeet up in the high-ceilinglobby,butnoneonthegroundlevel. The doors were heavysteelfiredoors,butRickstilldidn’t feel safe. “Weneed tomake sure this place issecure,” Rick said, “Stay on

this floor, and look for anydoors that leadoutside.Sticktogether, and don’t goanywherealone,noteven forasecond.”

“Shouldn’twe split up?”askedChris.

“How many horrormovies have you seen?”Anna asked incredulously.“Splittingupistantamounttochecking thebasementalone,orrunningupstairsinsteadof

out thedoor.Orhavingsex,”sheadded.“Youjustdon’tdoit when you’re in a horrormovie.Duh.”

Chris flushed red, andRick chuckled. “We’resticking together,” Rick said.“Safetyinnumbers.”

“Unless the bad guyshave more numbers,”muttered Chris under hisbreath.

The gang of five moved

to theconcession stand.Rickwalked around the displayand grabbed a package ofgummy bears. He put it onthe glass case, and Sam’seyesbugged.

“Goaheadkid, it’sOK,”hesaid.

“But Daddy, it’s kindaearlyforsweets,isn’tit?”

“We’ll let it slide thistime,”heanswered.

Rick and Paulmoved to

the first door behind theconcession stand. Paul gotinto a firing stance with theSig Sauer, and Rick pushedthe door open. It was ajanitor’s closet, completewith mop and bucket. Therewere contractor’s trash bags,and smaller yellow plasticbagstostorepoppedpopcorn.Theymoved to thenextdoorand repeated the action.Storage. Empty drink and

popcorn cups wrapped inplastic sleeves, and candyonshelves. Both rooms weretiny rectangles, five by eightfeet.Nobodyhidinghere.Theonlyotherinteriordoorswerethe one they came from, thedoors to the theater, and theone at the top of the spiralstairs. Rick hobbled up thespiralstairswithPaul,butthedoor was locked. Annaopened the cash register and

itmadeaveryloudDing!ShelookedhorrifiedandmouthedSorry!Insidetheregisterwasa key ring. The keys fit thelock on the door that RickandChrishadused to accessthe lobby. She locked it andcheckedit.Rickhobbledovertoherandshehandedhimthekeys.

“We’llchecktheupstairslater, let’s do the theaternow,”Ricksaid.

Chris grabbed Rick bythe arm. “Rick,” he saidquietly, “that thing in thedumpsterbityou;weneedtocheckitout.”

“Soon,” Rick replied.“Let’smake surewe’regoodfirst.”

Rick opened the doubledoors to the theater. Therewas a tall divider so thatwhen the doors were openedduring operating hours, the

outsidelightwouldn’tdisturbthe patrons while theyenjoyed their movie. Therewere also two more doors,oneto the leftandoneto theright of the divider.Bathrooms.Men left,womenright. The men’s room doorwas propped open with awooden wedge, and ajanitor’s mop and bucketcould be seen three feet intothe room. The ladies room

door was closed. Rick andPaulmovedinstandardcoverformation, with Rick in theleadandPaulcovering.Gunspointed low, they cautiouslyenteredtheroom.Nothingbuttwosinks,twostalls,aurinal,and a warm air hand dryerattached to the wall. Huh,damncleanforanoldtheaterbathroom,Paulthought.Rickpushed the first door in withhis boot and saw a spotless

toilet. He pushed the seconddoor in and discovered thesame. Relieved, the fatherand son duo moved to theladies room and repeated theprocess. This room wasemptyaswell.

“Let’s do the theater,”Ricksaid.

He peered around thecorner of the dividing walland immediately saw a bodysitting in an aisle seat two

rowsdown, itshead slumpedforward, right arm hanginglimplyintotheaisle.Rickputa finger to his lips, and theothers followed him into thetheater. Rick was walkingtoward the slumped figurewhenhisbootconnectedwithsomething glass in the aisle.The pint bottle wentskittering down the concreteaisle,bangingintothreeseatsbefore it stopped. The figure

inthechairimmediatelywentintomotion.Itturneditsheadanditseyesgrewwideat thesight of people. Chris firedthe Taurus at the figure,missing the target, and thefigurethrewitshandsup,andas an afterthought, dove tothefloor.

“I got no money,” aman’s voice shouted. “Placeis closed, and don’t open ‘tilnoon,Igotnomoney!”

Rick lookedatanashen-facedChris.Chrisswallowedhard.

“We’re not here to robyou, chief,” Paul said. “Weneededaplacetoholeupforawhileisall.”

The man lookedbewildered, “So ya broke inandshotatme?”

“We thought you wereoneofthem,”Ricktoldhim.

“One of who?” the man

askedsuspiciously.“One of the infected,”

Rickanswered,incredulityonhisface.

“Huh?What the hell areyou talking about, infected?Infectedwithwhat?”

8A green and white

behemoth barrelled down thedebris strewn streets of eastSan Francisco. Heads turnedand dishevelled figuresshambled after the garbagetruck. Dallas had returned tothe street where he had left

the yellow Hummer and hisnewfriends,but itwasgone.Rick and the new girl, whatwas her name? Amy? Ali?Had tried to call him on theradioseveraltimes,andwhilehe could hear them hecouldn’t transmit. The damntransmit button didn’t workon the radio Rick had givenhim.Therehadbeenno timeto letRickknowonce thingsbegan to progress, and now

Dallas was searching forthem.Thingswerebeginningtogetdicey, as aroundeveryturn, throngs of infectedwould shuffle into view.Dallas was just thinking thatheshouldcutandrunfor thedocks when the radio blaredtolife,andscaredthehelloutofhim.

“Dallas,Dallascomein!”Rick’s voice. “Dallas, if youcan hearme,we’re holed up

inthe…”theradiowentsilentfor a few seconds, “in theWilburTheater.It’sonMinnaStreet, about a mile southwest of the Bay Bridge on-ramp.TheHummerisparkedoutfront.”

Dallas smiled. He knewwhere Minna Street was.Unfortunately, it was in theother direction. He slammedon the brakes and the truckskidded to a halt. He

proceeded to make a threepointturninthemiddleofthestreethewason,backingintoawhite limousinewith tintedwindows in the process. Thepassenger door on the limofell off, and as Dallas droveaway he looked in the sidemirrorof the truckandcouldmakeoutazombiedressedinan evening gown stumblingout of the ruined luxuryvehicle, but the ghoul was

undoubtedlymale.“Musta been a hell of a

party,”hesaidtohimself.The garbage truck

continuedtotravelsouth,andthedeadseemedtothinoutalittle. A blue Ford Escapezoomed by going north.Therewasn’tthatmuchtothenorthexceptthedead.

“To Hell in a hand-basket overnight,” Dallasmumbled. “Where is

everybody, and why aren’tthe streets clogged withcars?”

A lone, barefoot zombiewearing hospital scrubsstumbled intoviewdown thestreet. It turned at the soundof the truck, and walkedtoward Dallas. Dallas wasdriving relatively slowly, butwas coming up on thecreature quickly regardless.The thing cut between two

parkedcarsandstoodstaringat the truckas it approached.Dallas was steering to run itdownwhenitstuckitsthumbout like a hitch hiker.Dallasjerked the wheel to the leftand jammed the brakes on,the rig squealing to a halt infront of the thing on thestreet.Dallascouldseebloodall over the hospital scrubs,but the person lookeduninjured. The newcomer

waved and ran up to thepassenger door. He was allsmilesashepulledhimselfuptothewindow,onlytofaceabig black shotgun pointed athishead.Themanwasinhisearly twenties, with short,cropped blond hair and ajaggedscaronhis leftcheek.He continued smiling asDallasquestionedhim.

“Youbit?”Dallasasked.“Nope, I’m Billy,” the

man said through the glass,“CanIgetalift?”

Dallas reached over andunlocked the door. Billyclimbed in and locked thedoor behind him. “Thanks,”he said. “Running aroundmostlynaked isn’t conduciveto long life right now,” hecontinued. “Are you gonnashootme?”

“What? Oh, sorry.”Dallas answered as he raised

the barrel of the shotgun tothe ceiling. “Are you sureyou’re not bit?” he asked.“There’s a lot of blood onyou.”

“Are you from thesouth?” Billy asked. “I’mfrom the south! SouthBoston!”

Dallaslookedconfused.Billy frowned. “Sorry.

Bugs Bunny reference.Wherearewegoing?”

Dallas put the truck intofirst and started driving.“Son, if you’re bit, tell menow and we can figure outsomethin’. We’re headed forother folks, and I don’twantanysurpriseslater.”

“Iwasn’tbittenbyoneoftheinfectedifthat’swhatyoumean,”Billytoldhim.“Iwas,however,repeatedlybittenbycertain choices I have madeinthepast.Bittenrightinthe

old pooper, if you catch mymeaning.”

“Uhh, OK, so where’dthebloodcomefrom,didyouhave to fight your wayhere?”

“Oh most certainly.”Billy’sfacelitup.“I’mquiteadept at the whole survivalthingie. A natural you mightsay.”

Dallaswasconfused,andapparently Billy could tell

from the look on thesoutherner’sface.

“Not followingme therehuh, Forrest? The blood isfromanything thatgot in thewayofmygreatescape. I’vedestroyed sixteen of theinfected today. I’m trying toleave the city, too crowdedthistimeofyear,andI’mnotquite ready to shuffle loosethe old mortal coil as itwere.”

“Forrest?”askedDallas.“Gump!”Billyshotback

quickly.Dallas was taken aback.

“You callin’ me stupid?”Now it was Billy’s turn tolookconfused.

“What on earth are youtalking about?” Billy askedhim.

“Didja call me Forrestbecausehewasafeeb?”

“Ah,”beganBilly,“No,I

called you Forrest becausebothheandyouarefromthesouth.IsaidGumpwhenyousaidForrestbecauseIthoughtwe were playing theassociationgame.Trustme,Iplaythatgameallthetime.”

“Dallas,” said Dallas,offeringhishand.

“Pittsburgh!” The twoshookhands.

“No, my name is Dallas.”

“You’re kidding? AreyoufromTexas?”

“What gave me away?”Dallas asked, looking atBilly.“Wasitmy…”

“STOP!” Billy shoutedpointingtotheroad

Agroupof threeundeadwere kneeling over a proneform in the middle of theroad.Thethreeweresointenton their meal, they wereoblivious to the approaching

vehicle. Dallas stopped thetruck,andlookedatBilly.

“I kinda have a place Ineedtobe,whatarewedoinghere?”Dallasasked.

“Upping the tally.”Billysaid and he started openingthedoor.

“Whoa Hoss,” Dallassaid grabbing Billy’s arm,“Whereyougoin’?”

“Don’t sweat it, I’ll bebackinajiffy.”

“Dammit boy, this isunnecessary and damndangerous!”

“Ha! You said damntwice in one sentence.”Billyjumped out of the truck andcalmly approached thezombies. He strodenonchalantlyuptothenearestone(Dallaswouldswearlaterthat he heard him whistling)and stopped about three feetbehindit.

“Ahem,” he said,“Excuse me? Typical.” Billybarefoot-kicked the kneelingformer postal worker in hisdeadass.Thezombiepitchedover,landingfacefirstonthepavement. The thing got up,itsfaceamess,andlookedatBilly. It cocked its head alittle,andBillyfollowedsuit.It took a step toward Billyand Billy took a step towardthe creature. Both of them

stopped, just looking at eachotheracrossafourfootspan.It was like a vile display ofSimon Says. Then the thingturned and knelt down tocontinue dining on theunfortunate victim, ignoringBillycompletely.

Dallas wasdumbfounded, Billy waspissed. He talked to himselfas he walked over to a carwith its hood up and trunk

openandlookedinthetrunk.He pulled out a tire iron andjogged back to the brunchparty. Billy pinned theweapon between his left armand his side, and spit in hisleft palm. He rubbed hishands together, took up thetire iron in both hands,pointed to the horizon, andthen brought it around in ahuge arc, smacking theformer postal worker in the

temple. Then he begansinging: “Grab a fencepost,hold it tight,” he crushed theskull of an undead bicyclecourier. “Whomp yourpartner with all your might;hithimintheshin,hithiminthe head,” Billy smashed theback of a high schooler’sskull, “hit him again thatcritter ain't dead!” Thecoupde grace was when he drovethe pry end of the tire iron

intothere-animatingvictim’seye. The tire iron clanged tothe street as Billy flung itaway. He sauntered to thetruckandclimbedbackin.

“What the hell justhappened?” Dallasdemanded.

“I just brought the totalto twenty one?” Billyanswered questioningly, hiseyebrowsraised.

“Why didn’t it come for

you?Itdidn’tattackyou!”“Wasn’t interested?”

Billy said. “I mean, did yousee what they were eating?That chick must have beenhot before they ripped intoher. Like super-model hot, Ibetshe…

Dallasinterrupted,“Whatthe fuck are you talkingabout, they DIDN’TATTACKYOU!”

“Easy Pittsburgh, I

thoughtthistruckwasratedGforgarbage.Noswearing!”

A thump on the driver’ssideofthetruckmadeDallasjump.Helookedinthemirrorand saw a small crowd ofdead approaching. Dallastookhisfootoffoftheclutchand brake, and the truckrumbledforward.

“We’re gonna need tohaveachatonwhathappenedoutthere,”Dallassaid.

Billy just smiled andstarted singing under hisbreath. “Whirl, whirl, twistandtwirl, jumparoundlikeaflyingsquir’l!”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m

telling you!” huffed afrustrated Earl. “I came towork last night like I alwaysdo. I had a couple of drinkslikeIalwaysdo.Icleanedupand then came out here totake a nap in the seats like I

alwaysdo.Iwasgonnagetupin about an hour and finishcleaninglikeIalwaysdo,andthenyoushotatme.Thatwasnew.”

The survivors were allflabbergasted. Rick sighed,“Soyouhavenoideathatthecity is under siege by thelivingdead?

Earl smiled. His lefteyebrowwentupandhischindropped. “Living dead? Like

zombies? So I work at asecond rate theater thatplaysnothingbuthorrorflicks,andyou’re telling me that thereare zombies runningaround?”

“Actually, they kindashamble,” Chris replied,“And they moan. But mostimportantly, they eatpeople.”

“Bullshi…I meanmalarkey,” Earl said looking

atSam.“You got a TV?” Anna

askedhim.“Jeff has one in the

projectionist’s booth,” heanswered.“Upstairs.”“That door was locked,”

Paulinformedhim.“Igotakey,andIwanna

seesomenews.”“Hangon,”saidRick.“Is

thereanywayintothetheaterother than those two exit

doorsdownthere,”hepointedto the bottom of the theater,“orthefrontdoor?”

“No, that’s it,”answeredEarl.

“What’s upstairs?” Rickasked

“Balcony level, there’sno third floor, and the fourthfloor is rented storage. Theowner rents the space topeopletostoretheirstuff.”

The group made their

way to the spiral stairs, andEarl started up with Rick intow. He had a massive keyring with an astronomicalnumberofkeysattached toaretractable lanyard, whichwas in turn attached to hisancient, threadbare belt. Hemadeittothetopofthestairsandtriedthedoorknob.“See,it ain’t even locked, you justgotta…” He turned thedoorknobwhile shovinghard

against the door with hisshoulder. The door groanedopen.“Popitalittle.”

Earl stepped inside andclicked the light on. Rickfollowed him in. The roomwassmall,withonlyonetinywindowcoveredwithadingyred curtain overlooking thestreet. In addition to theprojector, there was a heavymetal desk with a chair andsomeshelves.Bmoviehorror

postersadornedthewalls,andtherewasa13inchTVonthedesk.Thelargedrawerofthedeskwasopen,andastackofPenthouse magazines couldbeseeninside.

Earlclosedthedeskwithhis leg and sat in the chair,flicking theTVon as he sat.The emergency broadcastsignal was playing, with thenames of shelters runningfrom left to right at the

bottom.HeturnedtheancientTV dial to the next channel,and was rewarded with thesame signal. “The hell?” heasked. Earl rotated the dialagain, and the same bannerwas playing at the bottomofthescreen,butthistimetherewas a reporter yelling at thepublic.

“…or go to theSacramento street rescuestation, it has been overrun.

The barricades have fallenand people are fleeing fortheir lives! If you can hearthis,getoutofthecitybyanymeans necessary, as quicklyas possible! The army hasbeenmovingthroughthecityrunning clean and sweepoperations…”

Thereporterputhishandto his left ear and lookeddownforasecond.“I’vejustgotten word,” he continued,

“that the entire HaightAsburysectionofthecityhasbeen lost to the undeadmenace. The MontereyBoulevardRescueStationhasbeen completely destroyed!”Shambling figures could beseen advancing behind thereporter as he continued tolist off parts of the city thatwere under siege. “Garrett,we gotta go,” someone saidfromoffcamera.Thecamera

dippedalittleandthereporterturnedaround.Hebroughtthemic back to his mouth andsaid in a trembling voice:“Wehavetogonow,butstaytuned. This isGarret Rhodesreporting from Down TownSan Francisco for The HeartofFrisco,Channel9news.”

The feed switched to ananchor man seated behind ablue desk. “That, folks, wasterrifying.Asyoucansee, in

the overlay, sections of ourcity are burning out ofcontrol.” A picture-in-picturepopped on screen, displayinganaerialviewofgreasyblacksmoke plumes in varioussections of the city. “Thefollowing rescue stations aretobeavoidedatallcosts…”

EarlswitchedtheTVoff.“Ok, so I believe you, nowwhat?”

“We’regonnasitthisout

for a bit, then we’re headedfor Alcatraz,” Rickanswered.

Rickheardasquealingofhydraulic brakes andwent tothesmallwindow.Hepushedthe curtain to the left, andlooked out on Minna Street.Hesmiledandletoutahappygrunt.

“Whatisit?”askedEarl“IthinkHellactuallyjust

frozeover,”Rickreplied.

Rick and Earl starteddown the stairs when therewas a light knock on thetheater’sfrontdoor.

An unfamiliar voicecalled through the door: “Doyou have any MiracleWhip?”

Threegunspointedatthedoorsimultaneously.

“Wait!” Rick calleddown the spiral stairs. “It’sDallas!”

“Didn’t sound likeDallas,”Chriswas obviouslysuspicious.

“It is. I sawhimpull upinthegarbagetruckthroughawindowupstairs.”

Rick reached the bottomof the stairs and ran to thedoor.“Dallas?”hecalled.

“Yep,” came the burlyman’sreply,“Openup!”

Rickpushedthepushbarand the steel door opened

wide. Dallas and a bare footman dressed in bloodyhospitalscrubscamein.Rickpulled the door closed andturned to face Dallas. Dallasspokeupfirst.

“IrealizethatIkindajustmetyou,butI’mdarngladtoseeyouagain,Bubba.”

“Likewise there, chief.Who’s your friend?” askedRick.

“You know me, always

pickin’ up strays. This isBilly.” Billy took a stepforward, and when he did,Dallasmadeacoupleofsmallclockwise circles near histemplewithhisindexfinger.

“Name’s Billy,” Billysaid to Rick. He moved onrepeating the same thing toeach of the others in thetheater,stoppingatChrisandaskingsomequestions.

“How’re we doin’,

Hoss?”Dallasasked.“Place is pretty secure.

We’ve got a little food, andplenty to drink, and there’sonly threeentrances, all steelfire doors.” Rick pointedbehindhim.“This ismydad,Paul, and this is Earl, heworks here.” Paul came upand shook hands. Earlnodded. Anna walked up toDallas and gave him a peckonthecheek.

“I’m Anna,” she said,“Thanks for noticing me inthe window; I would havebeen dead in another minuteortwo.”

“Sorry,” Rick said, “Iforgot you two never got tomeet.”

“My pleasure, miss,” ared-faced Dallas repliedsheepishly, “least we coulddo.”

“Alright everybody,

listen up,” Rick told thegroup. “We’re fairly securehere, and we have limitedsupplies, so we’ll hang outuntil tomorrow, and makeanother run for the docks intheearlymorning.Let’smakesure we’re good here, and Iwant to check out the upperfloors and see if there’sanythingwecanuseupthere.Chris, you and Anna go andcheckallthedoorsagain,and

seeifyoucanbarricadethem.Dad, you and Earl get somefood going, and watch Sam.SeeifyoucanfindsomethingforBillytowear.DallasandIare going up to the fourthfloor.”

“I knew I should’vetaken that left turn atAlbuquerque,”moanedBilly.

Rick looked at himquizzically.

Sam giggled and Billy

beamed.“Finally!”hesaidandsat

down cross legged next toSam. “Which one is yourfavorite? Mine is HillbillyHare, and anything withYosemiteSam.”

Samwasabitscared,butshe replied quickly, “I likethe ones where Bugs dresseslikeagirl.”

“HedresseslikeagirlinHillbilly hare!” Billy was

ecstatic, he took off hisbloody shirt and wiped hischest with it. Sam sat downnext to him. When he wasdone he threw it to theside, “Awesome tiger, wheredidyougetit?”Samsmiled.

“What happened to yourface?” she asked, pointing tohisscar.

“Tigers!” he replied alittletooloud,andshesmiledagain.HeandSamcontinued

to talkwhileDallasandRickwalked to the door to thebalcony. Anna had givenRick the keys earlier, and heunlocked the door and theystepped through. Chris cameup and followed themthrough thedoor.Rickraisedhiseyebrows.

“Yourleg,Rick.”“Hang on, Bubba,”

Dallas said, “What does hemean?”

“Igotbittengettinghere,butit’snothing.”

“Where?”askedDallas.“Outside,whenwewere

try—”Dallascuthimoffwithaheadshake:

“No, I mean where onyourpersondidjagetbit?”

“It bit my boot, I guessmy bootwill come back andkickus,”Ricksaid.

“Still gotta see it,Bubba.”

Rick nodded and sat onthe step and rolled his pantlegup.Heundidthelacesonhis boot and took it off. Hepulled his black sock down,and there was a small bruiseover hisAchilles tendon, buttheskinwasn’tbroken.

“Well, OK then,” Dallassaid. “Let’s quit all thislollygaggin’an’gitgoin’.”

Rick laced his boot up.Chris smiled at him and

walked back into the theater,andRick andDallas climbedthe stairs to the fourth floor.They passed the shortcorridor where Rick andChrishadenteredthetheater,and continued up anotherflight. A door-less entrywayledthemtoalargeroomwithmany desks, each with asewing machine. It lookedlike the room hadn’t beenused in years. “Sweat shop,”

Rick said. There were twoother doors at the far end ofthe large room. One was abathroom full of chairs andotherjunk,theotherdoorwaslocked. A loud thump fromabovemadebothmenlookattheceiling.

“Thoughttherewereonlyfourfloors?”

Rick looked at Dallaswith eyebrows raised. Dallasshookhisheadandmotioned

withhischintowardthedoortothestairs.Ricknoddedandthey cautiously moved backto the stairway. They creptslowly up the stairs, senseswary. The stairs ended in aheavy door, not like any oftheothers in theupper floorsof the theater. Rick knockedon the door, but heardnothing.Rickputhishandonthe door handle, and lookedat Dallas. Dallas gave a curt

nod,andRickthrewthedooropen. Another short corridorwith a door on either side.There was a brass 1 on thedoor on the left, and a 2 onthe door on the right. Therewas movement behind thedoor on the left. Rick calledout,“Hello?”andinstantlyhecouldhearthetell-talemoansof the infected. Theresounded like a lot of them.Seconds later, pounding

started on the flimsy door,anddustfellfromtheceiling.

Thetwomenbeatahastyretreatbacktothedoorattheend of the corridor, but notbeforethedoorwiththe1onit crashed open, spilling fourundead into the corridor.Thereweremorebehindthemin the room. A very deadAsian man with a katanasticking out of his cheststepped over his comrades,

trying to get to a savory hotmeal.Thecreaturesteppedonthehandofoneof thefallen,splintering the boneswith anaudible crack. Infectedseemed to pour out of theroom, all intent on the feasttwentyfeetaway.Rickpulledthedoorclosed,andbothmenhurrieddownthesteps.Threeseconds later, poundingstartedontheheavydoor.

“At least the damned

door opens in!” Dallasdeclared as they took thestairstwoatatime.

“Did you see that guywiththesword?”Rickasked.“Must be tough to turncorners,huh?”

Dallas and Rick burstinto the lobby,Dallasyellingforeveryone.

Rick turned and lockedthe stairway door, and thelobby filled with the little

bandofsurvivors.“We’releaving!”shouted

Rick.“Packup,wehaveoneminute!”

“What’s going on,”demanded Chris, “are theyin?”

“The whole goddamnupstairs is full of ‘em!”Dallas told him, andimmediately looked at Sam.“Sorry honey, I’m scared isall, I usually don’t swear too

much.”Billy looked

annoyed, “We gotta moveagain? I just started settlingin!”

“Move it!” Rick said.Billy harrumphed and stoodup,stillshirtless.

“Dallas cover the stairs,I’m gonna go up to theprojectionboothandlookoutthe window to make surewe’re clear, everybody else

be ready to leave!” Rick ranupthespiralstairs.Hewasupthere maybe thirty secondsbeforehehurriedbackdown.

“How are wedoing?”askedPaul.

“There’s dozens,”answered Rick, ashen faced,“but that doesn’t change thefact that we need to leave,now!”

“Theymustagotthrough,Hoss, I can hear ‘em on the

stairs!”Everyone but Dallas

gathered near the door,weapons ready. Sam lookedscared,Billybored.“Weneedto do this quick!” Rickstarted. “Dallas, you takeBillyandEarl,I’lldrivewiththepeoplethatcamewithme.Everybody sit where youweresittingbeforeifyoucan.Chris, you and I will lead.Dad, you and Anna cover

Sam, get her in theHummerfast. Dallas, you block withthe truck, head toward thebay!”

“Wait!” Earl saidquickly. He ran behind thecounter and opened a tallwhite cabinet. He pulled outtwo baseball bats, onealuminum,andonewood.Hetossed the wooden one toBilly,whopromptlyusedittosmashtheglassonanoblong

boxattached to thewallnextto him. He reached in andwithdrewaredfireaxe.

He smiled awicked halfsmile,“Onlyyoucanpreventforestfires…”

He one-hand tossed thewooden bat to Chris, whocaught iteffortlessly,grippedit in themiddleandstrode tothe front door. He lookeddamntoughforaskinnynerd,withtheLouisvilleSluggerin

one hand and the Taurus intheother.

Dallas turned to lookthrough the skinny glasswindow of the door leadingupstairs. He looked into thedead Asian eyes of the manhe had seen upstairs. Thedead man smacked his openpalm on the window with awet splat. Black and redfluids smeared the window,andDallas jumpedbackwith

a“Jesus!”“They’re here!” he

yelped,asthumpswereheardon the other side of theentrance.

“Dallas, let’s go!” Rickshouted, “One, two,THREE!” He counted andpushed the front door to thetheater open. The doorthudded against somethingandbouncedback.Heshovedagainanditopenedwide.An

infected teenager in a blackAC/DC tee shirt and jeanswas on his back near thedoor, but already starting torise. Rick plugged him withtheAR15,andeveryinfectedin the street outside of thetheater turned his way. Thegroup ran to their respectivevehicles, except Billy, wholooked undecided whenbetween the two. The deadstartedtoclose.

“What the hell is hedoing?” Earl demanded ofDallas.

“All his dogs aintbarkin’!”DallasshoutedbackashehelpedEarlup thesideof the garbage truck. He ranaround the front of the truckto the other side, collidingmidwaywithaformersoldierin digital fatigues. The deadsoldier grabbed the shotgun,and wouldn’t let go. Dallas

released his grip, pushed thething back, and brought uphis rebar in one quickmovement. He smashed thecreature in the temple and itwentdown.Hepickeduptheshotgun, and the soldiergrabbed his pant leg as hetried to move away. Dallasfired point blank, turning thesoldier’sheadintoafinepinkmist.Otherswerecoming.

Rick went to one knee

and winced in pain. Hestarted picking the closesttargets,coveringhisgroupasthey got to the Hummer. Hedispatched a 6-year-old girlwithpigtailsandhideousbitewoundsonherneck.Hefiredonapostalworkerandhitherin the shoulder, the secondshot entering just below hernoseandputtingherdownforgood. Rick could hear otherweapons firing as well. He

shotabusinessmancompletewith briefcase, and a doctorwith a surgical mask. Thestreetwas fillingquickly, forevery one destroyed, threetook its place. The horn onthe Hummer sounded andRick bolted for the door. Hefired one more shot at aburnedguywithamotorcyclehelmet on, twice killing him.Shardsofhigh impactplasticerupted from the back of the

creature’shelmet.Rickgotinthe driver’s seat of theHummer and started theengine. He looked left andsaw Billy waving to Samfromthestreet.

Chris hit the windowbutton and the window wentdown. “Billy! Get in thegarbage truck,” he yelled.“They’re coming!” Billylooked at the oncoming tideofdead.

“But I want to go withSam,”hewhined.

“There’s no room, yougottagointhetru--BEHINDYOU!”Chrisscreamed.

An undead so badlyburned it was impossible totell if it had been male orfemaleputitshandonBilly’sshoulder. Billy shoved itshandoffofhimwithalookofirritation.Hespunandlookedthe creature in the face. The

thing walked past himheading for the Hummer,cracklingasitmoved.

“Fine!” Billy yelled,actually stomping his foot,“But this isn’t fair, I wantedtogowithSam!”Hestormedto the garbage truck andclimbed aboard. The trucklurched into gear and headedeast. Rick followed closelybehind, abewildered lookonhisface.

“What in Holy BlueFriggingHellwasthat?Chrisasked.

“I… I got nothing…”Ricksaid.

10“You saw that, right?”

EarlaskedDallas.“Yeah,twicenow.Itwas

hardtomiss,andevenhardertofigure.”

“Billy, why didn’t thatthing attack you?” Earl

asked.“Dunno,” Billy

answered, brows knitted incontemplation. “You think itmight be because I’munsavory?” he asked with ahintofsadness.

“Huh?”Earlasked.“Unsavory,” Billy

replied, “means I don’t tastegood,Ithink.Ihadthisnursein the hospital last year, andshe said I was an unsavory

character,couldthatbeit?”“Maybe,” Earl said,

smiling.“Ithinkitmeansshedidn’t like your type orsomethingthough.”

“So I might taste goodthen?” Billy askedbrightening.

“Uhh… I don’t reallyknow,”Earlreplied.

“Me neither,” Billyfinishedwithasigh.

“Billy, if we can figure

out why they don’t attackyou,wemightbeabletostopthem from attackin’ all ofus!” Dallas said. “Maybeeveneveryoneeverywhere!”

“How?” Billy askedinnocently.

“Idon’tknow,kid,Iain’tascientist.”

Dallas drove over threeinfected in themiddle of thestreet, their bodies crunchingunder the wheels. The radio

in the truck blared to life.“Dallas!Yougottatellmeifyou’re going to be throwingbodies out from under yourtruck! We’re not as big asyou, and there’s goo all overourwindshieldnow!”

“Well shit,” Dallasintoned, “didn’t think ofthat.”

The road ahead wasblocked by two militaryHumvees, parked nose to

nose, so Dallas took a rightandthenaquickleft.Anotherabandoned road block wasahead, and Dallas sloweddown. This roadblock wascomprised of civilianvehicles. The Hummer withhis new friends startedbeepingfuriously,andDallasstomped on the accelerator.“Hold on!” he yelled. Earllooked scared shitless,fumblingforhisseatbelt,and

Billy started whooping withjoy.Thegarbagetruckhittheroadblock at about 45 mph.Screeching metal andsmashing glass could beheard as the truck plowedthrough the smaller vehicles.The cars at the roadblockspunaway,onesmashingintoastorefrontwindow,theotherflattening two lurkinginfected. The heavy vehiclelumberedon.

“Whatthehellwasthat?”Chris demanded in apanicked voice when thetruck in front of themshudderedfromtheimpactofthe collision. Pieces of thevehicles Dallas had justsmashed through camespinning back toward theHummer,andtherewasabigthud under the rear end asthey went over somethingbig There was a long wail

from the truck’s horn, andsuddenly bits of bone andbloody pulp shot out fromunder Dallas’s rig. Rick wasabletoswervetotheleft,buthe still needed to use thewipers to get rid of thechunky, crimson droplets onthe windshield. Rick neededthewasher fluid to clean themess off, and even then, ahunk of dark-haired scalpcaught on the passenger side

wiper. It looked like a bigspider hanging on for dearlife.

“Ok, ok, horn equalsgoo!Let’sgetalittledistancebetweenusandthem,butnottoomuch,”Paulsaidfromthebackseat.

The horn blared in frontof them again, and again aformer human shot out fromunderneath the back of thegarbage truck, tumbling in

rag doll fashion. Rick coulddo nothing but run it over,hearing thudding andcrunchingnoisesashedidso.With less than a mile to thewaterfront, the dead weregetting thick. They stumbledout from behind parked orabandoned cars, alleys, anddoorways. Now and thensmall groups of them couldbe seen kneeling or on allfours surrounding a grisly

target. They were stuffingpieces of dripping gore intotheir greedy maws. Otherswere pounding or slappingopen,bloodypalmsonheavydoors or hastily-boardedwindows. The group knewwhat that meant, but at thesame time they knew theycouldnotstoptohelpwithoutbeing overwhelmed. Somefortificationshadn’theld,andthe broken doors and

windows revealed gruesomeoccupants.

“There it is!” Chrisblurted excitedly when hecould see San Francisco bayfrom atop the hill they hadjustcrested.

The big garbage truckhurtled down the hill, theHummer in its wake. Dallaslookedaheadwitha smileashe saw an open chain linkgate with the words Bayside

Marine inorange lettersonawhite sign. He checked therearviewmirrorandhissmilevanished.TheHummerwasahundred yards behind himandslowing.Hisradioblaredtolifeyetagain.

“Dallas!” Chris’s voice.“Something’swrongwith theHummer, it’s dying fast!”Dallas started a three pointturntogoassist.

TheHummergroundtoa

halt. The big yellow vehicledidn’t go unnoticed by thehungry dead in this area ofthe city. Dozens of infectedwere coming from alldirections.Acrossthestreet,awhitecargovanwithTsang’sProduce on the side wasfacing back down the streetwith the driver’s side dooropen.

“Everybody out,” yelledRick, “Get to the van, Dad

take Sam!”Rick got out anddropped the two closestinfected with single shotsfromtheAR-15.Herantothevan to check for the keys. Itwasstillrunning!Heledwiththe assault rifle as he stuckhis head in the cab to checkfor any unwelcome strays.Both thecaband thebackofthe van were devoid ofinfected.Therewereassortedcrates in the back, but there

wasjustenoughroomforhissmall crew of survivors. Hespun quickly and fired at astaggering fat man in abloodylabcoat.Hehithiminthelowerjaw,andtheundeadfell, but started getting upagain quickly. More werecoming.

“Thevanisclear!Getin,hurry!”heyelled.

Chrisopenedthebackofthe van and Paul put Sam

inside, followed by Anna,then he squeezed in himself.It was cramped, but he feltimmediately safer. Chris ranupfrontandfumbledwiththepassenger door. “It’slocked,” he shrieked. Rickfired once more, but didn’twaittoseeif theshothit.Hejumped in the driver’s seatand slammed thedoor,whileleaning over to open Chris’sside. Three dead slapped the

driver’s side of the van asChris yanked the door openand got in. They were nowfacingbackthewaytheyhadcome and what was comingstraight at them was nothingshort of terrifying.The streetahead was a veritable sea ofwalking dead, numbering inthehundreds.

“Holy crap…” Chrissaid,wide-eyed.

“Tell Dallas we’re OK

and tokeepgoing.”Rickdidhis own three point turn,slamming into two moaningfigures. He got the vehicleturned around as Chrisfinished telling Dallas whathappened.

Dallas saw that the restofhisgrouphadgottensafelyinto a van and that the vanwas moving. The garbagetruckturnedbackaroundandheaded again for the

waterfront. Ina fewseconds,the truck had sped throughthe open gate into a largeparkinglot,withwhiteplasticcoveredboatsonjacks.Therewere no infected in the area,soDallasclimbedoutandranback to the gates. The vancame speeding through, andDallaspulledthegateclosed,wrapping a heavy chainaround the upright poles onthechainlinkgate.

Thesidedoorof thevanslid open, and Paul got outeating an apple. He tossedonetoDallas.Thebackofthevan had held a bounty offresh produce; apples,tangerines, cucumbers,lettuce, tomatoes, and manyother assorted vegetables insmall vented crates. Therewereburlap sacksofpeppersandonionstoo.

“Thatgateissturdy,butI

ain’tgotalockforit,let’sgitgoin’.”

Thesurvivorsgotintheirrespective vehicles, andweavedbetween theaislesoftrailered vessels toward thewater. Some infected couldbe seen inside the gates, butnot many. Outside the fencewas a different matter.Hundreds were swarmingdown the hill toward them,but it would take a good

fifteen minutes for thestumbling infected to reachthegate.Thesurvivorspasseda small bait and tackleconvenience store as theydrove to the docks. Dallasstoppedthetruckinfrontofalongdockwitheightboatsofassorted sizes moored to it.Everybody jumped out, andBillyusedhisaxetoopenthelocked gate at the top of thegangway. Billy and Earl ran

downthedocktotheendandfound a beautiful Sea RaySedan. “This will fit us, butweneedthekeys,”Earlsaid.

“Got that right,” agreedBilly.

EarlandBillyracedbackup the dock and up thegangwaytotelltherestofthegroup about their find.Therewere still no infected to beseen,buteveryonewaswary.Shots could be heard in the

distance, and greasy blacksmoke plumes were risinginto the sky from the depthsof the city. Rick was givingorders to everyone in anattempttogetgoing.

“These are all privateboats, the keys won’t behere,” said Rick. “We’regoingtohavetohotwireit.”

“I can deal with that,”Dallassaid.

“Good!Dallas, trytoget

the boat started, Earl, youcover him. Anna, you Billy,and Chris unload the foodfromthebackofthevan,myfather and I will cover fromthe frontandback.Sam,youstaywithme.”

The foodwas loaded onto the boat in less than tenminutes, but Dallas washaving trouble getting itstarted. “Damnable thingdon’t have electronic

ignition,” he wailed, “Whatkinda dumbass don’t getelectronic ignition, this is a‘92 for Christ’s sake. I gottatake the whole panel off, IneedaPhillips.”HelookedatEarl and Earl went below tolookforatoolbox.

Six infected had shownup and been dispatched astheycame.“Alright,wehavesomesupplies,butnotnearlyenough,” Rick said to the

group.“Iwanttohitthatlittlepackage storewe passed andget some more stuff,specifically water and otherdrinks.There’ssomesacksinthe back of the van we canuse to carry smaller items.Anna, run down and tellDallas and Earl what we’redoing, then come back andcoverthedockfromhere.”

“Alone?” she asked,wide-eyed.

“Shut this gate behindyouanduse thispole to lockthedoorfromtheotherside.”Rick picked up a three-footlength of dirty pipe from theground behind a whiteconcrete car stop. “You’ll befine. If anything comesknocking,get totheboatandlettheguysknow.”

“But…”shestammered.“I’llstayRick,takeAnna

withyou,”Paulvolunteered.

Anna looked incrediblyrelieved. “What about you?”sheaskedRick.“Iftheyshowup,howwillyougetback totheboat?”

“Gonna have to figurethat one out as we go,” hetold her. “Alright, let’smove.”

Paul went through thewoodengateandwedged thesmall pipe between thegangway rails and the door.

He tried it, and the doorwouldn’t open. He steppedcarefully down the gangwayandeverybodyelsepiledintothevan.

Thevanskiddedtoahalt

outsidetheconveniencestore.“Two minutes!” Rick said.Billy, Chris, and Anna slidthe side door open, andrushedoutof thevehicleandinto the store. Billy smashedthe glass in the front door,and the threeof themheaded

in while Rick covered thearea with the SPAS-12. Hehad left the AR-15 with hisdad,andneededacannonforclose encounters. Sam sat onthe edge of the van in theopensidedoorway,andRickstrode a few feet away fromher , looking around. Samcalledtohimandtheystartedtalking.Samgiggled.

Sam had grabbed herfather’s attention, and they

didn’t see the infectedshufflinguponthemfromtheother side of the van. Rickturnedbackaround tosurveythe area and the creatureturned the corner around thevehicle. Seeing Sam, it spedup.Itusedtobeaheavyman,and he was in boxer shortsand a bloody wife-beaterundershirt. He must havebeen attacked in the earlymorning, as he was still

wearing his slippers. Hispadded footfalls couldn’t beheard by Rick or hisdaughter, and the creaturewas almost on them when acaterwaulinghowlpiercedtheair. Rick spun and saw thething almost on Sam. Hebroughtthebigshotguntohisshoulderandfired,hittingtheinfectedsquareinthechest.Itflew back three feet, with agaping hole in its chest,

leaving a slipper behind. Itstartedtogetup,drippingandleaking foul fluids, whenRickwalked up and blew itshead off. The creatureslumped to theground, twicedead. “Get back in, honey,”RicksaidtoSam.

Rick looked around forthe source of the sound thathadalertedhimandhesawasmall multi-colored catslinking about behind a trash

barrel. The animal came outand looked at Rick, butshrankbackbehindthebarrelwhen the looterscameoutofthe shop. They were ladenwith supplies: two cases ofMountain Dew, full sacks ofgroceries,andChrishadabig5gallonbottleofwater forawatercooleronhisshoulder.

“What happened?” Billyasked.

“Damninfectedsnuckup

onus,Itookcareofit.”“Nice,”Billysaid.Thegrouphurriedinand

out of the shop twice more,each time coming out withmorestuff incasesandbags.They were about to go backfor a fourth trip when Ricksaid anxiously: “Time to go,that’s enough.” Everybodyjumped in the van and Ricklooked at the cat. He gotdown on his haunches, the

shotgunacrosshislegs,“Youcoming?” The animalhesitated for the briefestmoment,thenboltedoverandjumped in thevehicle, sittingwarilynexttoSam.Rickslidthe side door closed and thevan tookoffback toward thedocks.

The boat was runningwhen Rick’s group returned.The survivors loaded thesupplies on to the boat

without incident,andassoonasChrisshutthegateandputthepipeback to secure it,heheard the revealingmoansofthe infected. They hadbreached the gate, and werecomingfordinner.

Chris ran down thegangwayannouncing that thedead had arrived. He andRick cast off the lines, andthe Sea Ray headed into thebay. The hungry dead had

indeedreachedthedocks,andthey lined up behind theprotective fences, reachingfortheirlostmeal.

“We got near two fulltanks of fuel, and two sparefive gallon emergency tanksby the engines,” Earl toldRick. “Boat’s in good shape,other than the control panel;Dallashadtotakeitofftogetusstarted.”

“We’ve got some food

andwater,butnotenoughformorethanafewweeks,”saidRick,“We’llhavetorationit.I still can’t believewemadeit.”

“You made it happen,Rick,” Earl said. “I bet yourpopsoverthereisallkindsofproud, and your little girl issafe. You done good, sir.”Earl extended his hand andRickshookit.

“Thanks,”Earlfinished.

Rick sat on a paddedbench and looked at thesunnyJunesky.Heletlooseatremendous sigh, and put hisheadinhishands.

TheSeaRaytooktwentyminutes to cross the bay.Onthe way, they passed underthe Bay Bridge, which waspacked with abandoned andburning vehicles, andswarming with the dead.Treasure Island fared no

better: it too teemed withlurching, bloody figures.Theboatpulledup to thedockatAlcatraz,buttheyweren’tthefirst ones there. A fourteenfoot Boston Whaler, and atwenty foot Bayliner sportboat were already tied up.Two men in black uniformswith Heckler and Koch HKG36battleriflesstoodonthefar end of the dock. TheyapproachedtheSeaRaywhen

theyhearditsengines.“Ok,Chris,youandBilly

secure the boat. Dad, comewithme.” Rick said. He andhisfatherhoppedofftheboatand on to the dock, andstarted toward the advancingmen. When the men gotwithintenfeet,theoneontheleft spoke: “Piss off pal, thisisourlittlesliceofHeaven.”

“Fuck you, Martinez,”challenged Rick smiling and

shakinghishead.“I’vehadahell of a day. Where’sMeara?”

“Glad you made it,buddy,” Martinez said andactually hugged Rick.“Meara’s setting up acommand center in thebarracks. Rick,” he added,“Rosaliedidn’tmakeit…”

Rosalie was Meara’swife of almost 30 years. Shewas a wonderful woman,

active in the church and inlocalcharities.Onemorelossin a world of tragedy. Rickloweredhiseyes.

“Damn,”wasallhecouldsay.

Martinez pulled a radiofrom his utility belt as Rickshook hands with the othercop, Wizneski, andintroduced his father.Martinez took a couple ofsteps away and talked for a

second, then turned aroundand handed the walkie talkietoRick.“Somebodywantstosayhello.”

“This is Barnes,” Ricksaidintotheradio.

“Rick!” Meara’s voice,“You made it! Are Sam andyourdadOK?”

“They are Mike. I’vebroughtmorecompanytoo.”

“Howmany?”“Eight people and a

damngoodcat.”“Acat?”askedMike.“I’ll tell you all about it

soon.”“Come up to the

Barracksandseeme,wehavealottotalkabout.”

“Bethereinafew,Iwantto get my people off theboat,”Ricktoldhim.

“Copythat.Out.”Rick handed the radio

back toMartinez with a nod

of thanks. “I could use somehelpunloadingsupplies.”

“Cando,”Martinezsaid.The four of them

returned to theboat and theyunloaded the survivors andthesupplies.

RickgrabbedSambythehand and they walked downthedockwiththecatatSam’sfeet.

“Youknow,we’regonnahavetogivehimaname,”he

toldher.“Already did,” she said,

“Pickles!”“Pickles?”“Pickles!”

The group of 26

survivors on Alcatraz wasmixed. Race, social status,age,andgenderdidn’tmatter.Everyone was happy to seeeveryone else, and theyembraced each other likefamily.Withtheexceptionof

Rick, Mike, and the twoguards who had returned tothe dock, the survivorsgathered in the prison diningarea and shared their stories.Eachtoldoftheirescapefromthe mainland and the lossesthey had inevitably sufferedon the way. Billy sat apartfromtheothers,observingthestories and the sympathyalone, until Sam led Picklesaway from the group to join

him.PicklesgreetedBillybyrubbing against his legs, andashereacheddowntopetthecat, Sam sat down on themetalbenchnexttothem.

“How come you’re wayover here?” she askedhim.“Youlooksad.”

“Iam.”“Howcome?”“IhavetoleaveSam,and

I finally feel like I have afamily.”

“Where are you going?”Sam asked him, sadness inhervoice.

“Idon’tknow,butIcan’tstayhere.”

“Butwhy?It’ssafehere,and the bad people can’t getus.”

“That’s exactly why,kiddo.”Billypulledanemptypill bottle out of his pocketandletitdroptothefloor.“Itisn’tsafeformetobearound

people.”“That’s silly!You’remy

best friend here, you can’tleave!” Sam looked about tocry.

“Don’t be sad, you’llfloodtheplacewithtearsandwashusall intothebay!JustlikewhenBugsrodethatsurfboard on the tidal wave,remember?”

She shook her head andsmiled.

Across the room, RickandMeara appeared togetherthrough a heavy metal door.They had said theircongratulations, and paidtheir respects to each other.Rick introduced Mike to hisgroupofsurvivors,andMikedidthesameforRick.

“Where’s Sam?” Mikeasked looking around. Hespotted herwith a blond guysitting away from everyone

else.“Oh, there she is,” he

saidpointing.RickandMikecrossedtheroomtojoinSamand Billy. Sam crossed thelastfewfeetinablur,yelling“UncleMike!”asshejumpedinto his arms. Pickles trottedover and looked at Mikequizzically.

“Goodtoseeyou,Sam!”Mike said smiling, “And thismustbe thecritter that saved

you.”He put her down, bentover and stroked the cat.“Good cat, doesn’t run withstrangers,huh?”

“Nope, he’s awesome!”Sam replied. “His name isPickles.”

“Pickles huh? Who’syour other friend?” MikeaskedlookingatBilly.

“That’sBilly,c’mon,I’llinter-duceyou.”ShegrabbedMike by the hand and

draggedhimtoBilly.Mikestoppedshortafew

feet fromBillyand lookedathim hard. Billy looked backfora secondanddroppedhishead, nodding. Mearacontinued the last few feetand stuck his hand outoffering a handshake. Billystood up and, lookingsurprised,returnedit.

“YoumustbeBilly,Samtells me you’re her

friend,”Mearasaid.“That’s true sir, we’re

goodfriendsnow.”“Well, welcome, why

don’t you get yourselfsettled?There’sfoodcookingand water to wash up with.Wecangetyouapropershirttoo, it will get cold in heretonight. Nasty scar you havethere,wheredidyougetit?”

“Childhood injury,”repliedBilly.“Accident.”

“OK then. Anyway, getsome rest, you earned it.”Mearastuckhishandoutonemore time and shook Billy’shand.

“Thank you, sir,” saidBilly, sounding a tadconfused.

“Sam, would you comewith us for a sec please?”Mikeaskedher.

SamtookMike’shandashe led her and Rick back to

the group of survivors in themiddle of the room. MikeaskedSam togo sitwithhergrandfatherforafewminutesand shook his head inresponse to Rick’squestioning expression. Thetwomenduckedbackouttheentrance to the dining halland Rick waited until thedoor was closed to finallyask, “Ok, what the hell isgoingon?”

“That guy Billy, wheredidyoupickhimup?”Mearaasked.

“I didn’t, Dallas foundhim in the citywhenwe gotseparated.”

“And he’s been notrouble?”

“No dammit, he actuallysaved our asses a couple oftimes. He’s, I don’t know, alittle off I guess, butwhat isthisabout?”

“That kid,” Meara saidthumbing over his shoulderbehind him, “is a Grade Apsychopath. A murderer andtorturer.Nastystuff.”

“What are you talkingabout?He’salittleweird,butheabsolutelylovesSam!”

“That guy,” Mikecontinued, “is Bill theButcher.”

Rick’s face paled. “Thedentistguy?”

“He wasn’t a dentist, hemurdered a dentist. I don’tthink he knows I made him,butweneed todosomethingnow.”

“Idon’twanttotakehimdown in front of Sam, andMike, we can’t kill him, nomatterwhat.”

“Rick,thisguyisfuckinginsane. Past that, he’s damndangerous. I will do what Ihave to inorder tomake this

island safe,” Mike stabbed afinger at Rick, “and dammitsowillyou.”

“You don’t get it, thisguy can walk with the dead,andtheydon’tattackhim!”

It was Mike’s turn tolookpale. “What thehell areyoutalkingabout?”

“Like I said, the deadwon’t touch him,we all sawhim walk right past theinfected and they ignored

him. Dallas said it happenedwhen he picked him up too.He’s important, andwe needhim. Some scientistsomewhere will need to atleast talk to him. This is aprison forChrist’s sake, let’sgethimtocomepeacefullytoacell.”

“Ok, but if he triesanything, I’lldrophim likeabadhabit.”

“He won’t. He really

loves Sam, and I think hewouldprotecther.”

“We’ll see. Let’s go gethimandfindout.”

Thetwomenstrodebackintothediningarea.

Billywasgone.

BookTwo:TheRock

Billy had never been toAlcatrazbefore.Hehadlivedin San Francisco his entirelife, buthadnevergotten thechancetogoonatour.Itwasunfortunatethattheendoftheworld was what finally got

himtopayavisit.Pityhecouldn’tstay.He

really liked this group ofpeople.Anoddassortmentoffolks, brought to an islandrefuge through the efforts ofsome of San Francisco’sfinest. All were migrantsfrom a city crawling withmonsters.

There was a secret thatBilly didn’t want to tell hisnewfriends,butitlookedlike

thecatwasoutofthebag.The cop in charge had

madehimforsure, therewasno denying it. Billy wasfamous! Next would cometheinevitable.Theywoulddowhatallauthorityfiguresdid,either lockhimup,or torturehim with probes andquestionsanddrugs,andthenlock him up. Did they haveprobes or drugs? Either wayhe wasn’t sticking around.

Then there was the little girlto consider.He couldn’t hurtSam.

At least he didn’t thinkhecould,andthatwaswhyhehad to leave.Hewaswillingtobethisownlifeonhimself,butnotherlife.Hewasoutofmedication,whichmade himadangertoeverybody.Wherecould he get his Clozapinenow?Hewould have to raidan institution, someplace he

reallydidn’twant togo.Toomany memories, albeitmostly repressed, or hiddenthroughdrugtherapy.

As soon as the boss cophad looked in his eyes,Billyknew he had to run. Hewastednotime.

Billy made his escapequickly and quietly. He tookoff while the two cops weretalking, slinking down themain cafeteria bay as the

small band of refugees atetheir beans and soup. Hestuck close to the wall, andwalked quickly, but nothurriedly. He was out thedoor and running for thebeach in the oppositedirection of the dock as fastas possible. The brilliantsummersunmadehimsquintashemoved.

Now the only questionthatremainedwashowtoget

offtheisland.Afterall,itwasaprison.

He was almost to thebeach, on an overhangingpiece of crumbling retainingwall near the formerindustries building, when heheardsoftvoicesonthebeachbelow him. He stayed lowand listened, but hewas stillinahurry.

“Damn G, you ain’tgonna dry off dat gat fo’we

gitgoinisyou’?”“Don’t dis the weps my

brotha. You don’ clean em’an’ you got Five-O drillin’you wit’ no way to kill abitch.”

“I’mwit’youdog,butifwe don’ git back to DocMurda soon, he gon’ bepissed!”

“Yeahman,butifwecallfo’ we scout this place, hegon’ kill us bof. He need to

knowhowmanyfolksishere,‘specially cops and bitches.Hegotaplanfo’dacops,an’a even better plan fo’ dabitches.”

There was hushedlaughter.

“Truedat.Les’gocheckshitout.”

Billy could hear the twomen move along the scrubbelow him. They weremovingtohisleft,andhewas

above them. He picked up abrokenpieceofconcrete,andwaited for them to pass byhim just a little. He silentlyhoppedupontheledgeofthebroken retaining wall. Thetwo men, dressed in gangcolors,didn’t seehimbehindandabove them.Billyhurledtheconcreteandjumpedbackwithout waiting to see whathappened. He heard a meatythump, and then a muffled

shout. He moved quickly tohisleft,positioninghimselfinfrontofthetwogangbangers,and looked over the edge.The banger in the back hadbeen hit in the head, and theoneinthefrontwaskneelingover him checking out hisunconsciousbuddy.

“Dog, dog you OK?Damn man what happened?Didsomethin’fallon…”

His question was

punctuated by a vicious snapasBilly’sfootcaughthimonthe back of the neck. Billyhad jumped off of theretaining wall and landed ontheman’sbackafteraneightfoot fall. The banger’s neckhad been broken, and theother man was not lookinggoodeither.Billycheckedtheman he had hit with therubble,andhecouldseegraymatter in the blood and grit

ontheman’sshoulder.Whilenot dead, this guy wouldnever shoot another old ladyfor her social security check.Billy stomped on the man’sAdam’s apple to make sure.The man started making astrangled gurgling noise, butBilly had already grabbedtheirweaponsandmovedon,satisfied that neither manwould pose a threat to thefolksontheisland.Hehadn’t

madeasoundthewholetime.He walked down the

shortbeachandfoundasmallsix-seataluminumboatwithamotoronit.Hepusheditoutintothewateruntilitbegantofloat. Jumping in, heimmediatelystarted itupandmade for the San Franciscoshoreline.

Billyshookhisheadandsnickered at the irony ofeverything. He was escaping

thesafetyofanislandfortressto enter a city of thecannibalistic living dead, sohe could save the lives ofpeople that were scared ofhim.

Hewassavingthemfromhimself. He would havelaughed if he didn’t think ofSam right then. He hadknownthelittleeightyearoldfor less than a day, but healreadylovedherlikeasister.

Billy was instantlymorose, the murders of twopeople less than fiveminutesbeforeforgotten.

HisnextthoughtwasthathehadactuallyescapedfromAlcatraz, and that in itselfwasanaccomplishmenttobeproud of. Torn betweenelation and sorrow, Billychose indifference andshrugged his shoulders insilence.

2Immediately after Billy

was discovered missing,Detective Captain MichaelMeara wasted no time inorganizing two searchpartiesgo find him. Meara haddecidedtosplithistalent,andhesentDetectiveRickBarnes

with Rick’s father Paul, andSWATsniperPabloMartinezwith one of the civilians.Allwerearmedtotheteeth.

Athoroughsearchoftheisland yielded no trace ofBilly, but there werehundreds of places he couldbe hiding. Martinez and hispartner had discovered twodead gangmembers near thebeach by one of the largerbuildings.Onehadasmashed

skull, and the other had hisheadatanoddangle,andwasgnawingontheforearmofhisdeadhomie.

This scared DetectiveRick Barnes more than apsychopathon the loose.Notthe fact that there was azombieontheisland,butthattwopeoplecouldgetsocloseto Rick’s tight-knit groupundetected.Who knowswhoorwhatcouldcomeandgoas

theypleased.Thezombiewasdispatched quickly, andMartinezputabullet intothehead of the other dead gangmemberforgoodmeasure.

Martinez’s radio blaredtolife.

“Martinez, any sign?”CaptainMeara’svoice.

“Negative sir, nothingbut the two dead bangers sofar. We’ve canvassed all theoutbuildings, but it would

take aweekwith 20 guys tosearch everywhere, and eventhenthere’sgottabeamillionplaceswe’dmiss.”

“Agreed. Report back tocommand.Commandout.”

“Gotta getWizneski andBarnes, and whoever is withthem to come too,”Martineztold Martingale, the civilianthatwastoassisthim.

“Whyarewe still takingorders from your Captain?”

demandedMartingale.“Don’tyou think we should have acivilian in charge, like amayor or governor until weget rescued? I mean really,the police work for thepeople.”

Martinez hadn’t likedthis guy from the momentthey met. He was a spindlylittle shit with no conceptionofthehierarchyofcommand.Someone who believed that

democracywas imperative incrisis situations. Martinezlowered his chin andresponded with venom, “Itake orders because if I stoptaking orders then there willbe anarchy. Anarchy ordissention will get us allkilled. I intend to live,and ifyouwant to live,youwilldowhat you are fucking told. Ifyou fail to comply, orinstigatesometypeofcoupor

revolution, I will kill youmyself.Youarealivebecauseof my Captain. He orderedme to pull you from thatoverturned car at the risk ofus all. It would have beenmuch easier to leave yoursorryassbehind.Don’tdoubtorquestionhimagain.”

Martinez kept his glarelocked on Martingale as heliftedhisradiomic,“Wiz,didyoucopy?”

“Roger that, RTB. Dockwill be left unguardedthough,” SWAT specialistWizneskianswered.

“MeandMassengillwillmeetyouthere.”

“Who?”“Massengill, the civvie I

gotstuckwith.”Wizneski snickered

throughtheradio.“RogerthatPabs,checkyousoon.”

“It’s Martingale,”

Martingalesaid,“mynameisMartingale.”

“Not anymore,Massengill.”

“What?Why?”“Cause you’re a fucking

douche.”Martingale swallowed

hard,butwaswiseenoughtokeephismouthshut.

3Smoke from the burning

city stung Billy’s eyes as hepulledhisboatup toawharfon the east side of SanFrancisco.Hetiedtheboattoa pylon and climbed up aladder on to a concrete pier.

Hewas arguingwith himselfover whether the instrumentused to affix the boat to thepylon was a rope or a line,when he was spotted by asmallgroupofthedead.Theyimmediately directed theirshuffling towards him. Billyhad two automatic pistols,one in each hand, but hedecided to experiment withsomething. One of thecreatures had a long

screwdriverstickingoutofitsneck. Billy folded his armsacross his chest and waitedfor the small crowd to reachhim.

He was counting theirnumbers when they stoppedshort of him by about threefeet. “…Six, seven, eight,nine.”Theonesinthefrontofthegroupleanedforwardasiftosniffhim.“Intheimmortalwords of Bugs Bunny,

What’sup,doc?”heasked.Alook of confusion came overtwo of them, but the othersmerelylookedvacant.

Billy tucked the gunsinto his pants and pointed atthe screwdriver in the deadman’sneck.“Doyoumind?”He grabbed the tool andyanked it out of the creaturejust as the assembly of deadstarted to wander off indifferent directions. The tool

made a sucking sound as itcame out, and it was blackwithsemi-coagulatedblood.

Heputhisarmacrossthething’s shoulders as it beganwalking away. He walkedwithit.“Youknow,itdoesn’treally bother me that I canwalkaroundwheneverybodyelseisrunningfortheirlives,that’s a perk. But I mustadmit, I’m a wee bitperturbed that none of you

willevenconsideranibble.Itmakes me feel… I don’tknow…alittlebland?”

The dead thing tried toshrug him off. “Now that’sjust rude,” Billy said. “Fine,take it back then.” Billysighed and drove thescrewdriver into thecreature’sear.Itdroppedlikearock,takingthescrewdriverwith it. He consideredfetching the weapon, but

decidedagainstit.He stormed away

shaking his head andmuttering to himself.Creatureswouldcometohimmoaning,witharmsreaching,onlytowanderoffwhentheygot close. Billy was headinginthedirectionofanoldFordpickup when he heard thetell-tale sound of car enginescoming fast. He ducked inbetween two shipping

containers as a small vehicleskidded to a stop about fiftyfeetfromhim.Amanjumpedout of the car and ran to thepassengerside.

“Carol, hurry! They’rerightbehindus!”

The man helped aninjuredwomanoutof thecarand the two were in theprocessofrunningfortheendofthewharfwhenanothercarscreeched to a halt

immediatelybehindtheirs.Threemengotoutofthe

second car, all wearing thesamegangcolors.

“Hey! Where you twogoin’?” one of them yelled.He fired a shot into the air.Themanandwomanstoppedrunning. The other two mendestroyed three approachingzombies with variousfirearms.

“Gitemquick,wegonna

havecompanyinaminute!”“Please, just let us go,”

themanpleaded,“wehaven’tdoneanythingtoyou,andwejustwanttoescapethecity!”

“Let you go? Now whywould you wanna leave ourfine city there white-boy?Andyou’dbetakin’thatfine-assbitchouta town?Nuh-uh.Shebestayin’.Butyou?Youcango.”

With that, the driver of

the second car shot the manin the stomach. The mandoubled over and fell down.“NOOO!” screamed hiscompanion. She fell to herknees beside the man, whowasconvulsinginagony.

The threegangmembersstood around the cryingwoman and dying man,laughing. Moans could beheard from a short distanceaway.

“Les’ go boys, grab thebitch and les’ fly,” said thedriver.

One of the men yankedup the screaming woman bythe hair. The second onepunched her in the stomach.Theyweredragginghertothecar when one of them sawthatshehadabandageonherarm.“What’sthis,huh?”Themantoreawaythebandage.

“Fuck,Holmes,shebeen

bit.”“Dammit!” yelled the

driver.Hepointedhisweaponat her and said regretfully,“Youwasfine, too.”Heshother in the faceandshookhisheadsighing.

The dead were juststarting to showupwhen thethree men started walkingbacktotheircar.

Billy stepped out fromhis hiding spot with both

pistolsaimedatthebangers.“Howdy partners!” he

yelled, and emptied bothmagazines into the men. Allthree danced a quick jig anddropped to the groundclutching various parts oftheir bodies. As Billyapproached them, he couldsee thatonewasdeadwithahead wound, and anotherunconscious and bleedingout. The last one was trying

to crawl to the car. As heheardBilly comeup on him,the man turned and weaklyraised his weapon. Billykicked it away before it wasanyhigherthanhisknees.

“You’re in a bad waythere,killer.Yougot two,nowait,threeholesinyou.Doesithurt?”

“Fuckyoubitch!Jus’killmeandtakewhatyouwant!”

“Kill you? What was it

you said to that poor guy?”Billy thumbed toward theman who had been shot bythe gangers. The man wasgetting up. “What was it?Nuh-uh.” Billy rounded uptwohandgunsandashotgunfrom the gangers and putthem in the car. Then he saton the hood of the vehicleand watched as the deadapproached. He began towhistle.

“Are you fuckin’ crazy,they’ll tearus topieces!”Allsemblance of bravado,Ebonics, and street talk wasgone. The man actuallysounded quite educated,although panicked. “Get meup and I’ll tell you wherethere’s a shit-ton of goodies!Guns, food, and women!Please man, please don’t letthem get me!” He coughedand blood flecked his lips.

“Please…” he said weakly,and started repeating it overand over. The dead werealmostonhim.

“Nuh-uh,”Billysaid,andgotinthecar.

“PLEASE!” Billy heardthe man scream feebly onelasttimebeforehebackedthecarup.Thedead reached thefallen man, and then thescreaming started in earnest.AsBillybackedup,hecould

see a semicircle of deadkneeling over the strugglingman, tearing pieces of himaway, and stuffing them ingreedymouths, or leaning inand biting him.One of themwas the man who had beenshotonthepier.

Billy drove awaywhistling.

4“You know, it’s a bitch

that it took the endof life aswe know it forme to finallyget what’s mine,” a tall,lanky, black man said as he

satwithhisfeetuponadesk.He was cleaning hisfingernails with a hugehunting knife. Another man,huge, also with dark skinstood off to the left, armsfolded.

“Initially, I thought thatifIgotoutofthehood,wentto school, and madesomething ofmyself, I couldactually live the life that Ialways wanted. So I did. I

escaped the confines of aterrible upbringing, bulletsflying, crack whores on thecorner,andwhatnot.Igotoutof Compton, went to SFU,got a useless poli-sci degree,and what was my reward?Nobodywouldhireme.Notadamnjobtobehad.Iwantedto teach! I wanted toenlighten the youth of oursplendid society on how toprogress in their lives.” His

words echoed through thewarehouse.

Themantookhisfeetoffof thedesk,stood,andbeganto pace. “But no. No. Atenured position at aprominent university? Forme? An educated andpassionate man fromCompton? De-fucking-nied.”Atthispoint, themanstartedwavinghishandsashespoke,palms upturned, fingers

spread. “Got to the pointwhere the Deans wouldn’teven consider myapplications anymore,wouldn’t even speak withme!” The man was enragednow. “Andyou!”Hepointeda skinny finger across thedesk. “You represent thoseDeans! Another reason forthe downfall of society!”Spittle was flying from hismouth as he screamed

admonishments andreprimands, repeatedlystabbing his index fingeracross the desk. “YOU’RETO BLAME!” Obviouslyangered, the man sat on thedesk and crossed his ankles.He closed his eyes, andseemed to will himself tocalmdown.

“But I digress. There’sreally only two types ofpeople left in this city; your

kindandourkind.”The man stood and

approached three trussed,hanging figures. Their handswere wired together abovetheir heads, the wiresstretching to a long pipe onthe ceiling eight feet above.Bloodtrickledfromthebondsas the wires cut into softflesh. Their feet were alsobound, but were six inchesoff the ground.Thewires on

their feet were attached tothree cinder blocks each.Movementwasimpossible.

“My name used to beMalikPhillips,” theman toldhiscaptivespointingthehugeblade at them, “but you willcall me Doc Murda.” Therewas clapping and cat callsfrom behind the tiedmen.Alarge group of peopleoccupied the rest of thewarehouse.

Oneofthehangingmen,a soldier, snorted derisivelywhenheheardthename.Theother two, a NationalGuardsman, and aman in anSFPDuniform, looked at thesoldierlikehewasinsane.

“Doc Murda huh?” thesoldier asked, “What madeyoupickthatname?”

Doc Murda lookeddisgusted. Shaking his head,he said, “Spontaneity,” and

thrust the hunting knife intothe soldier’s midsection, theflat of the blade horizontal.The soldier gritted his teeth,but didn’t scream. Shouts ofencouragement and jeerstoward the captivesresounded throughout thewarehouse.

“Now Colonel, this isexactly what I was referringto before. I will haverespect.” He stepped away

from the soldier, and leanedbackon thedesk, once againcrossing his ankles. DocMurda left the knife impaledin the colonel’s belly, hugedrops of blood falling to thefloor.

“Respect?” the colonelaskedthroughclenchedteeth.“Respect is earned, you sickfuck, and it isn’t earnedthrough murder and chaos.”He coughed, blood dripping

freelyfromhismouth.“Thesepeopledon’trespectyou,youidiot. They’re afraid. Bigdifference.”

Doc Murda straightenedup and stepped deliberatelytoward the Colonel. He puthis hand on the knife andlooked the other man in theeye.“Goodenough,”hesaid,andviciouslyjerkedthebladeto the left. This time theColonel did scream. Ropy

coils of intestine bulgedthrough the horizontalopeninginthesoldier’sbelly,spillingoutandontohisgroinand legs. Blood poured fromthe wound and splashed thefloorinaviscoustorrent.DocMurda pulled a smallautomaticpistolfromhisbeltand shot the soldier in theforehead. The small crowdbecame incensed, screamingand hollering, some actually

starteddancing.“PeeWee, if you would

be kind enough to removethat?” The huge man movedforward and without a wordcut down the soldier. Hedragged the deadman away,not bothering to remove thecinderblocks. The blocksbanged together as Pee Weemovedoff.

Doc Murda raised hishands to quell the racket in

the warehouse. As the noisedied down, he walked to theNationalGuardsman,makinga point to show the terrifiedmanthebigbloodyblade.

“Now, I’m going to askyousomequestions…”

5Billyhadtoditchthecar.

Thestreetswerepackedwiththe undead, and the noise ofthe car engine was attractingthem in droves. Billy was inno danger from the creaturesas far as he could tell, but

they still approached himbefore pausing in apparentconfusionandthenwanderingaway. The thingswouldmillabout aimlessly until theyspottedsomethinginteresting,then,all intheareawouldbeonthemovetowardwhateveritwasthattheyhadseen.

Billy figured out that ifhe didn’t move too fast, ortalk,hecouldwalkamongthecreatures unmolested. If he

walked tooquickly, or spoketohimself (aswashishabit),they would get in his way.Thenhewouldstop,andtheywould stumble off,uninterested.Everybody else,itseemed,wasonthemenu.

The crowds got thinneras he neared his destination.He was trying to get to theMorningside PsychiatricHospital. Not a nice place,butheneededsomedrugs.He

hadpoppedhislastClozapinemore than a day ago. Thedrug had a strange effect onhim. Normally, a person onClozapine would slow downand be dizzy and incoherent,drooling or standing in oneplace for long periods oftime. Zombies, Billy used tocall them, and snickeredwhen he thought about it.This particular drug was thechemical equivalent of a

temporarylobotomy.Billy, however, got very

amped when he took hismeds.Hefounditgavehimasingular clarity he couldn’tattain when not medicated.He talked a lot, was happy,and could figure things outquicker.Italsomaderesistinghis homicidal urges a snap.Billy could fight off thedesiretokillsomeoneforthefunofit.Hestillkilledwhen

he needed to, but the drughelpedhimweedouttheoneswhodidn’tneedkilling.

He was looking at hisfeet as he walked,contemplatinghisstrategyongetting hismeds,when therewasanoddsound in frontofhim.He looked up and therewas a zombie pushing anoverflowingshoppingtrolley.The creature was filthy, andhad a fifteen inch matted

beardwithbitsofstuffinit.Itwaswearing an oldmilitary-style boonies hat. It was thebeardthatBillyremembered.

“Hey,Lester,”Billy saidandwaved.

“Hey, Bill,” the thingrepliedinaraspyvoice.

“Not dead yet then?”Billyasked.

“Dayain’tover.”Both continued on about

their business, in opposite

directions.Billy reached

Morningside about an hourafter seeingLester.Apickuptruck had smashed into themain gate, obliterating thesmall guardhouse. The doorto the truck was open, andthere was no one around,living or dead. He walkedpast the accident and got tothe front doors of thehospital. The glass was

smashed and there werebloodyhandprintsallover.Itwasdarkinside.

Ahugebloodsmearwassplashedacrosstheblackandwhite checkered floor.Something had been draggedfurtherintothedarkness.

Billy stood there a

moment contemplating, thepistols from the dead gangbangers in each hand, and a

shotgunstrappedtohisback.“Heavens to

Mergatroid,” he said aloud,“Well, I guess I better--”Hewas cut off by a loudcaterwauling scream frominsidethedarkhalls.Hetooka few steps back and peeredinto the darkness, the pistolsraised. There was a slappingsound, obviously bare feetrunning on linoleum, andsuddenlyafiguresolidifiedin

the blackness. Anotherinhuman scream emanatedfromthething,anditsprintedtoward Billy, reaching withthe need of the damned. Itpushedthebrokendoorswidewithout slowing, heedless ofthe broken glass under itsbare feet, screaming as itclosed the distance. Billyfired once with each gun,hitting the figure in the leftshoulderandmissingwiththe

other bullet. The thing, ayoungman inbloodypajamabottoms, slowed down andclutched at his wound withhis right hand, Billymomentarily forgotten. Heraisedhisheadtotheskyandscreamedagain,thensnappedhis head down and looked atBilly with blood-red eyes.The man hissed, bared histeeth,andcharged.Billyshotthe man three more times,

and he fell, dropping on hisback a few feet short of hisgoal.Billybackedupanotherthree quick steps. Thewoundedmantriedtogetup,but remaineduponhisback,coughing blood and makingclawswithhishands.

Billytookatentativesteptoward thegaspingman.Theman saw him and bared histeeth again, trying to snarl,but only making a gurgling

noise.He flippedoveronhisstomach and tried to pullhimself toward Billy. Hemanaged a very shortdistance before his head fellto the ground. He laid there,bloody eyes fixed on Billy,butotherwiseunmoving.

Billy raised hiseyebrows.“Huh.”

Hewalked past themanand stopped in front of thedoorstotheblackhallsofthe

hospital. “Alrighty then,” hesaidandstartedforwardwhenheheardanoisebehindhim.

The man was pushinghimself to his feet. Billyraisedhis pistols.Thebullet-riddledmanstoodandlookedaround. He saw Billy andmoaned, raisinghisarmsandshuffling forward with thatsame undead gait Billy hadseen hundreds of times thatday. The creature stopped

about three feet shy ofBilly,thenturned,lowereditsarms,andshambledoff.

“Huh.”

6The Alcatraz survivors

had gathered in the cafeteriaat the behest of DetectiveMeara. He stood at the frontoftheroomandaddressedthesmallcrowd.

“Well folks, here it is,”hebegan.“There’sagroupof

people, mostly kids, trappedinaschoolabout fourblocksfrom the Marina Baywarehouses. We’re going toget them. I need fourvolunteers…” Instantly,hands shotup throughout thecrowd; eight-year-old Samhadherhanduphigh.Mearasmiled and looked at Rick,who was also smiling andnodding.

“If you’re interested,

come on up, and we candiscusstheplan.”

“Did you say fourblocks?”amanasked.

“Yes, a little less thanthree quarters of a mile.Again,ifwecouldgetthe

volun—““Because if they’re four

blocks from the wharf, theymay aswell be on themoonwith all those people on theloose,” the man interrupted,

“andIjustdon’tseethepointin attempting a rescue ifwe’re going to send ourpeopletocertaindeath.”

Murmursofassentcouldbe heard from the crowd,while snorts of disgust weremoreprominent.

“WellMr.…?”“Martingale.”“Mr. Martingale, there’s

a bunch of kids stuck in aschool, with few supplies,

and a mounting force ofinfected just outside thewalls. Now, I’m simply notOK with leaving them tostarve, scared and alone. Inoticed you didn’t have yourhand up, so you can remainhereandmakeyourselfusefulwhile the rescue team goesandgetsthem.”

“Shouldn’t we let themilitary get them? For thatmatter,whenaretheycoming

for us? Haven’t you been incontactwiththem?”

Meara sighed. “I didn’twant to bring this up until Iwas absolutely sure, but I’mfairlycertainthemilitaryisn’tcoming.”

Shocked outbursts anddemands for moreinformation assaulted Meara.Heheldhishandsuptoquellthesurge.

“Pleasefolks,please. I’ll

tellyouwhatweknow.Iwasin contact with a friend ofmineatUSAMRIID,whichisa military run infectiousdisease center.Now, asmostof you know, there hasrecently been an outbreak ofviolence in Boston. This isthesamestuff. It isanasyetundefinedsicknessthat…thatreanimates the dead intomurderoussavages…”

“Ridiculous!”Martingale

exclaimed.“How widespread is

this?”atallwomanasked.“As I was saying, these

infected people are, for allintents and purposes, dead.Theyhavenovitalsigns,andcanfunctionwithtremendousamounts of damage done tothem. Damage that wouldincapacitate or kill a humanbeing. Insofar as how far theinfectionhasgotten, it seems

to be everywhere. Everymajorcityhashadoutbreaks,some are faring better thanothers, but Boston, NewYork, and most of the EastCoastcitiesare…gone.”

The crowd was silent.Even Martingale lookedshocked.

“The US military is infull retreat from most of theWestCoastcities,andhaslefttheEastCoast already. I had

contactwithaNationalGuardconvoy leaving SanFrancisco, but I lost them afew hours ago, and repeatedattempts to reach them havegoneunanswered.Partof theproblem is that there isn’tanywheretoretreatto.”

“Asofrightnow,itlookslikewe’reonourown,”Rickadded. “We’re going to haveto survive for a while untilthe military can get to us.

We’ll need to secure food,water,andweapons.Also,wewill need roving patrols ontheislanduntilwecanfortifyit enough to fendoff attacks,andnotjustfromtheinfected,but from people who wantwhatwehave.”

“When do we set up asystem of government?”Martingaledemanded.“We’llneed a voting system andelectedcivilianleadersto…”

“Mr.Martingale please,”interrupted Meara, “we’regoing toneed toworryaboutstaying alive first. Frankly,I’msurprisedallofusmadeitout of the city with thenumbers of infected beingwhattheyare.”

“But the fundamentalpurpose of a government isto…”

This time Rickinterrupted, “We’ve got kids

tosave.Ifyou’renothelping,then step back and let usplan,”hesaidangrily.“Ifyoufeel an-all important need toset up a government, thenknockyoursocksoff,butDONOT tell us how to operate.As of now, this island isunder San Francisco policecontrol--” Martingale startedto protest-- “AND if youdon’t like it,you’rewelcometo go back to the city. It’s a

prettytoughswimIhear.”There were assorted

chuckles from the smallcrowd.Martingale folded hisarms and scowled, butremainedsilent.

Rick’snewfriendDallascame up to Rick and lookedhim in the eye. He turnedaround and faced the group.“They’rekids.I’mgoin’.”

The tall woman steppedforward.“MynameisJuanita

Del Carmen. I’m in.” Otherssurgedforwardaswell.

Billywalkedupthesteps

to the hospital and steppedthrough the smashed frontdoors, swinging the shotgunin a horizontal arc. “Clear!”he said to himself, andsniggered.Hemadeitapoint

nottostepinthebloodonthefloorifhecouldhelpit.Therewerebloody footprints, somebare, going in manydirections. It was very dark,but he could see a little. Hereadthenamesontheopaqueglasspanesinthedoorsasheprogressed, but he wasmoreinterested in the titles. Dr.A.P. Morgan, ClinicalPsychology, Dr. S.Silverstein, Child

Psychology, Dr. V. Prendes,Administration. The nextdoor’swindowwassmashed,and there was bloodeverywhere. Something wasmaking wet tearing soundsfromtheroom.

Billy looked through thebroken window, but couldonly discern vague shapes.There were two indistinctfigures low to the ground,huddledover something.The

sounds of chewing wereapparent. As he leaned in toget a better vantage, Billyshifted his weight and heardwindow glass crunch underhis feet. He looked down,cursinghimselfformakingsomuch noise in the confinedhall. When he looked backup,therewasadeadmaninaredhospitalorderly’suniformstaring at him through thehole where the window had

been.ThenametagreadCarl.Billy backed up a few steps.The former orderly turnedaway, showingBilly that theuniform was actually white,just gore-stained. Two otherdead things appeared fromthe darkness of the room,reaching through the brokenwindow. Billy took a stepforward whereupon bothcreatures lowered their armsturning back into the

darkness.Billy opened the door

and flicked the light switch,but nothing happened. Thezombies went back to eatingtheir unfortunate victim. Theform on the floor turned outto be half a man. He wasmissing his head and botharms, and his chest was adripping cavity. Half-a-guyhad been a security guardbefore the madness began,

andhehadaflashlightonhisbelt.

Billy stooped to retrievetheflashlight,carefultoavoidthe copious amount of bloodon the floor. The torch wasalso slickwithgore from thefallenguard.Wipingsomeofthe blood on the back of afeasting zombie, Billycleaned the light as best hecould.Hewasabout to leavewhenhenoticedasetofkeys

on a ring attached to thevictim’s belt. Retrieving thekeyring,hesteppedfromtheroom and clicked on theflashlight. The beam cut thedarknesswithprecision,onlyilluminating where it waspointed. Billy continueddown the gloomy corridor,toward a set of doubleswingingdoors.

A bump from the otherside of the doorsmade them

open toward Billy for amoment. He moved forwardcautiously. The bumpoccurred again. Obviouslythere was something movingontheothersideof thedoor.Acrimsonpuddlehadspreadacross the entire hallway infrontofhim.Billyreluctantlystepped into the blood andpulled back the door. Therewas a small child sitting onthe floor, slurping viscera

from what used to be ahuman being. The creaturelooked up, but didn’t move.The child looked completelyfine, except for the red eyesand the fact that he wascoveredingore.Billypointedoneof thepistolsat thedeadboyandfiredpointblankintothe creature’s head,destroying it. The shot wasdeafening in the enclosedcorridor, and his ears began

to ring, but not before heheard another inhumanscream from deeper in thedarkenedhospital.

“Not your fault,” hewhispered to the twice deadkid,andkeptmoving.

The beam from theflashlight cut the blacknesslike a knife, showing scenesof carnage and failed laststands, a small circleof lightat a time.Here anotherdrag-

smear,therebloodyfistprintsonabrokendoor.Ashecameto a stairwell going up, hecould see an assortment ofchairs and other officefurniture that had beenthrown down the stairs toblockaccess.Thedoortothestairwellwashangingononehinge, and there was moreblood on the furniture, but itlooked as if this hastybarricadehadheld.

A fewmoremeters, andanother set of double doorsblocked his way. This timethe doors were steel, withsmallwindowsatfaceheight.The windows had aninterlaced lattice of metalwirestopreventshattering.Aplacardabovethedoorsread:Level 1. The doors werelocked tight. This is whereBillyneededtogo.Thedrugshe wanted were certainly

beyondthisobstacle.Using the keys from the

eviscerated guard, he triedseveralbeforeheheardaloudsnick. He opened the doorsandsteppedthrough.Evenonthis sideof the lockeddoors,signs of struggle and deathwereevident.Goresmearsonthewall,hugeblooddropsonthe polished baby-blue floortiles, another smashedwindow in an office door.

Billylockedthedoorsbehindhim,andkeptmoving.

Therewerenonamesonthe doors in this corridor,onlywhitecinderblockwalls,interspersed with lockedcells.Billyshinedhislightinone of the cells. Theflashlight cast an eerie glowin theblacknessof the room.Apparently the room wasempty, save for a bed andsomecrayon-coloredpictures

on the walls. Billy checkedeach room on the way downthe passageway, but all wereempty.Locked,butempty.

HecametoaT-junction,and shined the light on thewall.Another set of placardstold him where to go. Leftwas Levels 2-3, right wasLevel 4 and Pharmacy. Heflashed the beam right, andnoticed that one of thecreatureswas leaning against

the wall, its forehead on itsforearm.Itwasfemale,againdressed in the same garb asthe speedy infected that hadattackedBillyoutside. It sawthe light beam and turned toface him. Billy shone thelightinitsfaceanditshieldeditseyes.“Quitit,”itsaid.

“Patient?” asked Billyunperturbed.

“What gave me away?”she replied. “The lack of

shoes or this stunning attireI’mwearing?”

“What’syourname?”“Nobody gives a shit.

Now get that damn light outofmyface.”

“Really?That’sacrappyname. Your parents musthavebeenrealjerks.”

The woman smiled atthis and Billy lowered thelight. “Name’sAli.What areyoudoinghere?”

“Iusedtolivehere,butIdidn’tgetoutmuch.”

“I knowhow that feels,”shesaidinagreement.

“Looking for Clozapine,yougotany?”

“Pharmacy is that-a-way,”shesaidandjerkedherthumboverhershoulder,“butIwouldn’tgodownthere,it’sthick with those things, andoneofthemruns.Theydon’tcareaboutme,buttheymight

makeabanquetoutofyou.”“Nope! They aren’t

interestedinmeeither!”Billyreplied a little tooenthusiastically.

“Keep it down huh?They’ll hear us and startpoundingagain.Anyway,thatfast one does care, and triedto get a piece of me, that’swhy I’m in here. I waswaiting for DoctorPurkayastha to come back.

Helockedmeinthiscorridorandwent to let the twos andthreesoutoftheircages.He’sbeengonealongtime.”

“Whydidhelockyouinthecorridor?”

“All threedoors need anaccesskeytogetinorout.”

“What about the fours?”Billyasked.

“Huh?”“Thelevelfours,arethey

stilllockedup?”

“Ihopeso,they’rejustasbadasthedeads.Killyoujustfor fun, and wear yourribcage as a Sunday hat. Ilooked in the windows awhile ago, and it looked likethe fours were still lockedup.” She indicated a row ofsecurity windows, ten or soinches square, with steelmesh covering them, a fewinches above the heavy doortothelevelfourwing.

Billy lookeda tad sad ather comments. He noddedandstaredat thefloor.Whenhe looked back up, Ali waslooking at him funny.Realizationhither likeabugonawindshield.

“Why do you needClozapine?” she askedquickly.

Billy smiled. “Us levelfours are harder to controlwiththesissydrugs.Weneed

somethingamitestronger.”“Oh shit… listen, I

didn’t…”“Relax,” interrupted

Billy, “you’re safer with methan alone, especially if I’mzoinkedonmymeds.”

“How long have youbeenoffyourmeds?”

“Almost twenty-fourhoursnow.”

“Then I’m hardly safe!”she exclaimed. “But you’re

right, we need to get out ofhere, and I’mnot goingwithyou unless you dose. Butwon’t thecloze turnyou intoadrool-fool?

“Nope, I’m in the toptwopercentileforthat.Worksdifferently on me, I’ll be upandat-eminnotime.”

There was a heavy thudat the door at the far end ofthe corridor behind them,followedbyawetslaponthe

littlewindow.Agoresplattercovered the glass now.Poundingstartedontheotherside of the door, and faintmoanscouldbeheard.

“Is that the way yourdoctor went?” he asked,pointing to the now bloodywindow.

“Yeah, and that’s why Iwantedtobequiet,”saidAli.“That damn pounding isgonnadrivemenuts…”

They looked at eachother and both erupted intolaughter.

“Do you like BugsBunny?” he asked her inbetweenguffaws.

“Can’t live without him.What’syourname?”

“Billy. Let’s get mymeds.”

She stopped laughingimmediately.“Gimmeagun,”she said and pointed at his

pistols.“Fine. How many down

there?” he asked nodding hischin at the ominous doubledoors.

“Lots.”Billy nodded silently,

and the duo approached thedoors.

8A small group of thugs

stood around a desk,intermittently pointing at amap. The map was old andbeatenup,butitwasclearlyamapof theareabetweenSanFrancisco and Pablo Bays,withalargeinsetofadetailed

photoofAlcatraz“Whatifwehit‘emfrom

thenorth?”oneasked.“No. No, they’ll see us

coming for sure, and the hillis easily defensible,” DocMurda replied. “From thewest is where they’ll belooking all the time, backtoward the city. The East istoo far around to circle. It’llhave to be from the south.Also, I’m afraid, gentlemen,

thattheonlywaytodothisistoattackbynight.”

Noonesaidaword.“But…”oneofthethugs

started.“I know. The creatures

are much more active atnight,andtheydon’tseemtoneed to see to find us as wedothem.It’sbeenbarelytwodays,andthecityisdead,butif we want that island, andwhat’s on it,” this brought

snickers and murmurs ofassent fromaround the table,“then we need to surprisethem. We will also need afewboatsofmoderatesizetotransportourlittlearmy.”

DocMurdawalkedtothelarge windows of thewarehouse and looked downatthedocks,fortyfeetbelow.He stared hard at the docksandmadeadecision.

“There’satugboatdown

therethatwillworknicely.G,take Ratt. Pick three othersoldiers and go clear thattug.”

“Cake,” said a self-assuredlookingtough.“Let’sgoRatt.”

Askinnyblackmanwitha pick in his huge afrosuddenly looked terrified.“Doc,can’twe…”

“No, we can’t.” Murdastopped Ratt’s pleas before

they could get started. “Pickthreeandleaveimmediately.”Gshookhisheadandwalkedaway. Ratt had seen DocMurda’s rage when he wasquestioned, and knew betterthan to argue.Ratt turned onhisheelsandslunkafterG.

9“Hurry up Holmes, they

comin’!”Rattyelled.Avoiceyelledbackfrom

the wheelhouse: “Cast offthen, and I’ll get her runnin’while we’re floatin’ awayfromthedock.”

Ratt and two of hiscronies hurried to the portsideofthelargetugboat,theCrowley, and began toremove the heavy lines.Numerous deadwere closingfast. The lines came offquickly, but the boat refusedtobudge.

The staccato chatter ofsub-machine-gun fire madeRatt dive to the deck,covering his head with his

hands. He peeked out fromhis hiding place behind ahugecleat.

“You gotta push usaway,orweain’tmoving,”acalm voice told him. Rattlooked as one of his homies,MastaG,pointedthesmokingbarrel of an MP-5 past himandfiredagain.

“What?!?Iaintgonna--”“Then we’re all dead.”

Masta G punctuated his

statement with a third burstfromtheweapon.

Twenty or so dead werewithin thirty feet. “FUCK!”yelled Ratt and jumped overthe side of the Crowley. Heputhisfeetagainstthesideofthe dock and pushed on thetug with all his might. Thegreat steel hull didn’t budge.“Ricky, help him,”G said toanotherman.

“Screwthat,Iain’t--”

G pointed the MP-5 atRicky,“Now.”

Ricky swallowed, butleapt over the side to helppush. He took a potshot atone of the approaching deadandscoredaluckyheadshot.Hestuckhisautomaticpistolin the front of his pants andmimicked Ratt’s motions.Withbothmenwerepushing,the tug began to inch awayfromthedock.MastaGstood

on the edge of the deck andpointed his weapon down atboth men. “Push until I tellyoutostop.”

Beads of sweat from themenfelltothegrayboardsofthedockastheyheaved.Ratttried to turn and look, butGtoldhimtokeeppushing.

“Is they close?” Rattbegged.

“No,” G replied, andfiredagain.

“My fuckin’ ears,Holmes!”Rickycried.

“They’ll be eating yourearsifyoudon’tpush.”

The boat was three feetfromthedockwhenGraisedhis gun to fire again. Oneroundwasexpelled,therewasa click and the chamberremainedopen.

“OK,geton.”Gdroppedthe sub-machine-gun andpulled dual semi-automatic

pistols, firing intermittentlyintothegrowinghorde.

Ricky turned, trying topullhispistol,anditwentoff.He started screaming, bloodpouring from his groin. Asmall hole had alsoblossomed in his right shoe.The pistol clattered to thedock, forgotten in his agony.Thedeadwerealsoforgotten,ashedroppedtothedockinafetal position. Cupping his

handsoverhisruinedtesticlesdid nothing to stem the flowofblood.

Ratt jumped for theboatandgrabbed thegunwale.Hewas trying topullhimselfupwhenfilthyhandsgrabbedhishair. “Help me man!” hepleadedtoG.

G fired two rounds, andthe dead woman holding onto Ratt’s enormous afro letgo, and fell into the slice of

water between the dock andthe boat. Two more deadstaggered off the edge of thedock and grabbed at Ratt astheyplungedtowardtheinkywaves.Helosthisgripandallthree hit the water with aconsiderable splash, sinkingrapidly. Ratt did not re-surface.

DuringRatt’sdemise,thedead had reachedRicky, andhad begun to dig in with

gusto. His screams ceasedwhen a deadwoman reachedinto his mouth. She keptreaching until mid-forearm,thenwrenchedoutsomethingshreddedanddripping,whichshe immediately shoved inhermaw.

“Yuk,” said G as theboat’s engines roared to life.Blackplumesofdieselsmokeerupted from twin stacks astheboatlurchedforward.

The dead nearest theedgeofthedockwerepushedoff and into thewater by theones behind them. Somefloundered for a second ortwo, but most sank likestones.

10“Yousaidtherewerelots

downthere.Howdidtheygetin?” Billy asked as he triedanotherkey.

Ali launched into a longexplanation:“Theybroughtina bunch of hurt people night

before last. Some werebleeding.Not long after that,thatdamnedpoundingstartedat the front doors. Dr.Purkayastha and Gerry thesecurityguyhurriedthefolksthat were in front back hereand locked the doors. Thenoneofthepeoplefreakedoutand started attackingeveryone.Hegrabbedmebutthen just letme go.He bit afew people before Gerry

couldshoothim.Docopenedthe door to the level fourwing,hesaiditwasthemostsecure place to be. He cameback out in a minute andnoticed me. I was in one ofthe rooms over there,” shejerked her thumb over hershoulder, indicating thecorridor Billy had traversedpreviously. “The Doc cameand got me, and then Gerrywent back out front to get

ammoorsomething.Thenthedoc locked me in this Tjunction, and went to let thepedophiles and neurotics outoftheircellsinthelevelthreewing.Not longafter that, thefolks in the level four wingstarted screaming. I couldhear them through the steeldoors,tryingtogetout.Theywerelockedin.Therewereatleast 20 people down there,not counting the fours. The

powerwentoutabout twentyminutesafterthat.”

“How do you knowabouttherunner?”

“I looked through thewindows,” she repliedpointingabove thedoor, “Hesawmeandcamerunning.”

“How did…?” Billybegan.

“I stood on the doorhandle.”

“Hmm. How about ten

fingersthen?”She rolled her eyes, but

lacedherfingerstogetherandlowered her hands. Billystepped into her hands, andboosted himself up a little tolookthroughthewindows.

“It’stoodark,Ican’tseeany…”

The emergencyfloodlights came on rightthen, illuminating both thecorridor theywere inand the

level four wing Billy wastryingtopeerinto.

“Well this is creepy,” hesaid blinking. His eyesrapidlycomingintofocus.

There was bloodeverywhere.

Thecells in thiscorridorwere bigger than the cells inthe other corridors Billy hadcomethrough,andeachhadasteel door set into a meter-wide, reinforced, heavy

Lexan plastic wall withperfectly spaced two-inchholes at waist level. Billycouldn’t see into the cells.Asmall mob of creatures wasbanging on some of theplastic cell walls, attemptingtogetattheoccupantswithin.

One of the things wasmore energetic, and wasfuriouslytearingattheothersaround it, throwing themaside and clawing frantically

at one of the plastic barriers.It had its fingers in theholesand was shaking the plasticwithall itsmight tonoavail.Itraiseditsheadskywardandscreamed in frustration. Itsmashed its head forward inanattempt tobite theplastic,but was unable to get a gripwith its teeth. As it gnashedits teeth, it turnedbrieflyandsawBillypeekingthroughthemesh.Theylockedeyesfora

moment, and the thingsuddenly sprinted away fromthegroup,pushingtheslowerones out of its way. It cameright at Billy, hands on itshead, and when it was twofeet from the door, itlaunched itself at thewindows, bouncing offharmlessly.

“OK, there’s a runner.”Billyloweredhimselfdown.

High pitched, inhuman

screaming was discerniblethrough the door along withfrenzied clawing andhammering.

“I can take care of therunner, but you’ll have toopenthedoor.”

“Whatabouttheothers?”sheaskednervously.

“They won’t touch us,but the runner will. As longas you were telling me thetruth before. Open the door

and pull it wide so that therunnerseesme.”

Shereachedforthedoor.“Not yet! Let me get

back a little so I can shoot itwhenitcomesforme.”

“Oh,sorry.”Billy backed up and

pulled the shotgun from hisback. He jacked the pump,and a shell went flying. Itlanded with a clatter androlledagainstthewall.

“Oops, that one wasn’tfiredyet.”

Ali shook her head.“Ready?”

“Yeah,openherup.”Ali used the key and

unlocked the door with asnick.Shegrabbedthehandleand breathed heavily. Shelooked at Billy expectantly,and he nodded in theaffirmative.

“One,two,THREE!”she

shouted, then depressed thehandle’s button and yankedthe door inward. The doorwas heavy, and she pulled itbacktohersothat itcoveredher,pinningherinthecorner.

The thing immediatelycame barreling through theopen doorway toward Billy,screaming as it ran. It gotaboutfivestepsbeforeitwasblownbackbytheshotgun.Itlayon itsback foramoment

gurgling, then it expired.There was infected blood allover the place, and the doorthat Ali had hidden behindwascoveredinit.

Billy rolled his eyes.“Brilliant.Youcancomeout,but be careful, I spread hisblood all over the place.Don’tgetanyonyou.”

Alipushedthedoor,onlyto have it pushed back openby the dozen or so milling

dead that had followed therunner through. Theystaggeredand lurched towardBilly, only to stop, onceagain, a few feet from him.Someambledoff,returningtopound on the glass in theother corridor, othersremained near Billy in the Tintersection.

“Doyouthink…”Immediately upon

hearingAli’s voice, the dead

turned as one and lurched ather, snarling and hissingwhen they got near. Shescreamed and ducked backbehind thedoor,pullingwithall her might. The dead,unfortunately, pulled aswell,nearly ripping the door awayfromher.Shewassavedonlybecause there were no goodhandholdsonthatsideofthedoor. Billy fired into themtwice with the shotgun,

destroying three of four andspreading gore everywhere.Thedead from thecellblockcamestumblingbackaswell.Billy fired into the crowd,destroying another two, andthe shogun went dry. Hedroppedtheshottyandpulledhis pistol. With careful aim,hedroppedanotherfour.

The last undead in thearea, who was scratching atthedoorandreachingaround

tryingtogetahandfulofAli,was moaning frantically.Billy cracked it on the headwith his pistol, and it let go,turning around. Billy shot itin the forehead and itcrumpledtotheground.

Ali peeked out frombehindthedoorandlookedatBillywithwideeyes.

“Fibber.”“No! I swear theydidn’t

comenearmebefore!”

“Ok,let’s…”Billydidn’tget to finish his sentencebefore he was looking downthebarrelofthepistolhehadgiventoAli.Shefiredandhefelt thewind and heat of thebullet as the shot went overhisshoulder.

“DOWN!” she bellowedas she took aim again. Heducked spinning, and saw azombiefalltotheground.Alifired again and a second

creature took a round in theshoulder. Adjusting her aim,she destroyed itwith anothershot.

“Dude! Quit shootingpast my ear, you’re gonnadeafenme!”

“Sorry, they werecoming.”

“What?”“I said they were

coming,” she said a littlelouder.

“Who’sadummy?”“ISAID….”“I know I was just

messing. They really won’ttouchmethough.”

“Didn’t look that wayfrom here,” Ali said shakingher head, “those werereachingforyou.”

“They were probablyreaching for you, whichbringsusbacktowhy.Iftheydidn’t touchyoubefore,why

dotheywantanibblenow?”The pair heard moans

coming from the level fourcorridor.Billypokedhisheadthrough the door and noticedmoredeadcoming.

“Willikers,” he said, andaimedhispistol.

After several seconds ofshooting,therewerenoneleftwalking.Billyre-loaded.

“Lastclip.”Ali nodded and breathed

heavily. “Magazine. Themedsareina lockedsecurityroom at the end of thecorridornearthestairs.”

“I know. And I knowabouttheclip-magazinethingtoo.”

He turned and walkedinto the level four wing.There was blood oneverything,withbloodyhandand fist smears on some ofthe plastic walls. The first

fewcellswereempty,butthethird on the left held a loneoccupant. She was on herhands and knees vomiting,andshelookedupatBillyashe looked in at her. Thewoman was a mess, withseveralbitemarksanddozensof scratches. Fat tears ofbloodweredroppingfromherface to the floor. She stoodandpressedherbloodypalmstotheglass.

“I made it in here andshut the door, but not beforemyhusbandbitme,”shesaidwipinghermouth,andshesatdown on a messy bunk.“Leaveme.”

Billy andAlimoved on.The only other cell with anoccupant was the fifth andlast cell on the left.AsBillylooked in the cell he gave alow whistle. The occupantwas amanof average height

andweightandindeterminateage. He stood with his armsfolded looking directly atBilly.

“HelloWilliam.”“Hello Cyrus. Been a

while.”“Indeed. Who is your

endearingcomrade?”“I would rather not talk

about her Cyrus if that’s okwithyou.”

The man raised his left

eyebrow.“Itisnot,infact,okwith me. Tell me her nameplease.”

“MynameisAlison,”Alichimed.

“You see William?Moments of courtesy are thereason our species is thedominantoneontheplanet.”

“Been outside lately,Cyrus?Youmightwanttore-thinkthatdominantthing.”

“Touché.William,Imust

demand amoment of charityfromyou.Itwouldseemthatin the chaos ensuing fromwhateverishappening,Ihavebeen forgotten here. This isunacceptable. I wouldconsider it a great act ofkindness if you would openthiscell.”

“Uhhh… no can dothere,chief.”

“William,itishardly…”“Noway, Cyrus. Period.

I’llfindawaytogetyouout,but not until I know we’resafe.”

“You destroyed theinfected in here, William.There are none left, and weare perfectly safe inside thiswing.”

“Cyrus, I was talkingabout me and her being safefromyou.”

“I see. My apologiesAlison, butWilliam is under

the false impression that Iwouldharmyou.I’veused…poor judgment in the pastconcerning the lives ofothers.”

“Poor judgment! Hekilled and sliced up sixpeople! There was evidenceof cannibalism too! Heeven…”

Cyrus interrupted, “Youtry my patience, William.Alison,whilemy proclivities

may lean toward the…macabre... the accusations ofcannibalismwere unfounded,Iassureyou.”

Alilookedscared.“Whatever man,” Billy

said, “if I can figure out away to let you out whenwe’resafe, thenyou’regood.We’ll be back soon, I gottamedicate.”

“One last plea,William?”

“No!” Billy grabbed Aliby the hand and movedfurtherdownthehall.“Guy’snuts,yaknow?”

They moved up a smallstaircase to a semi-circleshaped, reinforced glassbooth. The booth overlookedthe level four corridor. Theheavy steel doorwas locked,but Billy used his key ring,andtheyhadthedooropeninunder a minute. Inside were

monitors for the cameras ineachofthelevelfourcells,aswell as cameras for all thecorridors in the hospital.Cyruswasstandinginhiscellwith his arms still folded,staring at the camera. Theinfectedwomanwaslyingonher side in a fetal position,retching. No movement wascaptured by the cameras inmostof thecorridors,but thelevel two wing contained a

fewshamblingcreatures.Therewerenumberedred

buttons on a panel,corresponding to the cellnumbers. Releasemechanisms for the celldoors. Billy’s hand hoveredbriefly over the number fivecellbutton,buthemovedhishand away quickly, andturned toward what they hadcomefor.

Also in the small room

was a huge, white locker.This toowas locked,but thistime none of the keysworked.

“Backup,”BillytoldAli.Shedidso,andheaimed

the pistol at the locker. Theshotwasloudintheenclosedarea,butthedoorjumpedandswung open, the lockdestroyed.

The reward was shelvesof ampoules and pill bottles,

with plastic-sealed syringesonhooksononeofthedoors.

“Thingsarelookingup!”

11Three sets of eyes

viewed the GardnerElementary school from thethird story of a recentlyabandoned condo unit. Therewas a body on the floorbehind the three people, but

the dark hole in its foreheadsuggested it wouldn’t begettingupagain.

“Hate t’ say it, but I’mwishin’Billywashere.”

“Yeah, Dallas, me too,”Rickagreed.

“Who?”askedJuanita.“Billy,thecrazyidjitthat

took off. He could walkthrough them critterswithoutsomuchasascratch.”

“Wait,what?”

“It’s true. There wassomethingabouthimthat thedeaddidn’tlike.Atleasttheydidn’tattackhimliketheydoeveryoneelse.”

“But that’s unbelievable!Whydidn’tyoutellus?”

“Tell you what Juanita?Thatthepsychokillerthatwebefriended and is nowmissingcanwalkthroughtheundeadwith impunity?”Ricksmiled, “Actually, can you

imagine the look onMartingale’sface?”

Dallas and Rickchuckled,butJuanitawasstillflabbergasted.

“But…”“We can talk about it

later,OK?We’vegotworktodo. There’s fifty-six deadfolks beating on that school,and that’s only what I cansee.We’llneedadiversiontodrawthecreaturesaway,then

we load the kids on thatschoolbus,”Rickpointedatasingle yellow bus in front ofthe school, “then we drivebacktotheboat,andit’sbacktotheRock.”

“I got a couplequestions,” Dallas informedhim. “What diversion, andwhodoesit?Thenthere’sthebus,whatifitdon’tstart?”

“We’llfigureoutthebusafterwe figure thediversion.

Let’s get back to the othersandseewhatwecancomeupwith.”

Thethreeofthemmovedto the lower level of thecondo, andmet up with fiveothers who had beenwatching the entry points.Pablo Martinez, ChrisRawding, and three othersknown only by their firstnames toRickcame togetherin the living room to discuss

plans.Ben, Tom, and Lucy

would go set off an alarm atthe convenience store aquartermile down the street,while Rick, Dallas, andJuanita went to get theoccupants of the school ontothe bus. Martinez wouldcover the trio at the schoolwith his SR25 sniper rifle,and Chris would coverMartinez while he fired out

the second floor window ofthe condo. Once the alarmwas tripped, Ben, Tom, andLucywould be on their owngettingbacktotheboat,asallothers would be occupiedwith the safety of the kids.They only had two radios,and it was deemed morenecessaryforthesnipergroupand rescue group to be incontact than the diversiongroup.

Afterthediversiongroupdeparted,Rickputacallintothe school to get the ballrolling.

“Gardner Elementary,this is Rick, do you copy?Gardner?”

“Yes! Yes we’re here!Whencanyoucomeforus?”

“Ma’am, get everyoneready,we’llbecomingwithinthehour. Iwill letyouknowover the radio when I’m

almost at the door. Keep thekidsquiet,andmovequickly.We’re going to get on theschool bus in front of theschool, and take it to theboatyard, we have transportwaiting.”

“Thank you! Thank yousomuch,we’llbeready!”

Sometime later, a caralarmstartedgoingoffdownthestreet,andonebyone,thedead surrounding the school

shuffled off in that direction.There were a few stragglers,but most went to investigatethenoise.

“Ready Hoss?” DallasaskedRick.

“Let’sgo!”The three of them

quickly and quietly left thecondo unit, Chris sealing thedoor behind them. Theycommando-ran to the schoolbus, Rick entering with his

AR-15 at the ready. Therewasbloodeverywhere, andatruly dead policeman in thecenter aisle. He checked inand under every seat all thewaytothebackofthebus.

“Clear!”Juanita came aboard the

bus, but Dallas walked pastthe door and up to astaggeringform,swingingforthe fences with a piece ofrebar he carried, striking it

squarely in the head. Itcollapsed.“Stoveyerroofin,dint I?” he asked it, then hespitontheproneform.

“Anytime Hoss, I’mgetting’ a mite nervous outhere,”headdedtoRick.

“Dallas, we’ve gotissues,getinherequick!”

Dallasmountedthestairsof the bus, and saw Juanitalooking for keys, and Rickstruggling with the body of

thepoliceman.“Idon’twant thekids to

seethis,”Ricktoldhim.He grabbed the legs and

helped Rick drag the deadcopoutofthebus.

“Shit-sickles! This oldboy shoulda laid off’n thedoughnuts!”

“Cop staple!” Rickgrinned,butonlybriefly.Hiseyes went wide, Dallasnoticed, and both men

dropped their weight, Rickrealizing he had left theshotgun on the bus. Dallasspun and saw the formof anex-fireman bearing down onhim,snarling.

Hewentforhisrebar,butsuddenly the left side of thefireman’sheadvaporizedintopink mist and it collapsed.Another creature, about fortyfeet away, just keeled overtoo.Thestreetwasclear.

Confused, Dallas startedto ask what was going onwhen Rick showed up withthe shotgun. “It’s Martinez,therifleissuppressed!”

“Suppressed?”“Yeah, like a silencer in

themovies,c’mon!”Rick and Dallas ran up

theshortstairs to thedooroftheschoolandRickkeyedthemike on the radio: “Gardner,we’re here, open up!” The

heavy front doors openedimmediately, and a prettywoman stood there, lookingscared.Rickwasconfused,ashe seemed to know her, butcouldn’tplacetheface.

“Ma’am, let’s go, wehavetransport,butnotalotoftime.”

“Ok, c’mon kids time togo,justlikewetalkedabout!”

The woman and kidsfiled out the door in an

orderlyline,justastheschoolbus roared to life. Theyfollowed Rick, and Dallastookuptherear.Withthebusrunning, theywerebeginningto draw a crowd from alldirections. The car alarmstopped as well, leaving thebus theonlyrealnoise in thearea, aside from the moansandshrillcriesofthedead.

Thewomanandchildrenstopped in their tracks when

they saw that the school buswas their mode oftransportation.

“The bus!” the womanshouted, “It has one of thosepeopleonit!”

“We cleared it, nowcomeon!”

Juanita called out thedoor, to them: “It’s safe,c’mon!” She punctuated herexclamation by gunning theengine and signaling to them

with her hand. Trepidationslost,theyscrambledonboardafterRick,andJuanitaclosedthe door when Dallas joinedthem. Juanita put the bus inreverse, and the back-upalarmstartedgoingoff.Therewereseveral thudsas thebusstruck random staggeringdeadinthestreet.

“Back to the condo!”Rickyelled.

She switched gears, and

had started speeding awaywhen she looked in therearview mirror and spiedtwo running forms. Thebrakes squealed as shestopped hard. A few kidsstarted crying. “Behind! BenandLucy!”Rickchecked therear,andsureenough,twoofthe other three rescuerswerecomingdowntheroadasfastas they could. Ben waslimping,andLucywasdoing

her best to help him. Rickopened the rear door of thebus and took a firing stance,but went on his ass whenJuanita threw the bus intoreverse and jammed her footontheaccelerator.

There was a street-loadofundeadfollowingBenandLucy.Everyfewseconds,thebackoftheheadofoneinthefrontwouldpop,anditwouldcollapse, the others stepping

overortrippingonit.Thebuswasaquarterof

the way down the street andstill backing up when a big4x4 monster-truck cametooling around a corner,behindboththedeadandBenandLucy.Juanitastoppedthebus, but the truck sped up,crushing all dead in its path.A man leaned out thepassenger side window andfiredanautomaticweaponat

thebus.Holesstitchedacrossthe yellow metal, and awindow blew out. Rick goton his stomach and startedfiringback.Thetruckslowed,but kept coming. “Get thekidsdown!”Rickscreamed.

Ben looked behindhimself, and had just enoughtimetothrowLucyoutoftheway before the truck hit himrenderinghimintosomethingresemblingaragdollcovered

in hamburger. Rick had avision of gold teeth in thewide smile of the passenger-side gunner before thegunner’s face exploded.Halfa second later, a bullet holeblossomed on the driver’ssidewindshield,andthetruckturned violently to the left,wentupontwoofitsmassivetires, and flipped on its side.Thescreamsoftheremainingpassengers were lost in a

cacophony of rending metal.Men flew from the back ofthe truck like leaves from atree.

Lucy must have injuredherselfwhenBen tossed her,because she wasn’t makinggood time, andwashobblingandholdingherknee,usingabaseball bat as a crutch. Thedead were closing fast. Rickstartedfiringatthedead,andat thesame timesomeof the

men from the truck startedgettingup,mostwithinjuries.Oneof thempointedhis rifleat thebus,butgrabbedathischest and fell on his back.Another started getting uponly to have his head pop.Martinezwasexcellentathisjob.

Rick leapt fromthebackof the bus, Dallas closebehind, and both startedrunning towardLucy. It took

meremoments to realize thatthe dead would reach herbefore they would. Rickheard gunfire from his left,and felt a tug in his calf.Suddenly he couldn’t runcorrectly, and he had a nastystarboard list. He turned tolook atwhowas firingwhenhehearda loudBOOMfromclosebehindhim.Dallas hadended the gunman with ashotgunblast.

Lucy looked over hershoulder, seeing for the firsttime how close theapproaching horde of undeadtrulywas.Sheletoutaquickscream,whichseemedtofuelthesingle-mindedcravingsofthe creatures behind her.Some of the things droppedas Martinez kept up hisonslaught,butitwasn’tgoingtobeenough.LucylookedatRick and Dallas and

screamed,“Run!”They got within a

hundredfeetfromLucywhenthe first of the dead wavereached her. Rick continuedto hobble toward her, butDallasgrabbedhim.“No!Weain’tgonnamakeitintime!”

Rick struggled to getfree, but Dallas was holdinghimfirmlyby the shirt. “No!Hoss,wegottago!”

Clammyhandsclosedon

Lucy’s shoulder, and shespun, swinging the bat. Sheconnected with the arm of aformer sales clerk, WENDYonthenametag.Theforearmsnapped, but Wendy didn’tmind. Lucy fought like acorneredwolverine,but therewere too many. The batthumped home again, andagain, but got entangled inthemassofdeadaroundher.A skinny man in stained

hospital scrubs grabbed herarm and bit deeply into herhand. She yanked her armaway and struggled withanother zombie before shefell. The dead nurse fell onLucy,andshe tried to stop itfrom biting her again whenshe felt something hit her inthe head. She had amicrosecond to wonder whatit was, and she knew nomore.

“Let’s move!” Dallaspulled Rick toward the bus.To add emphasis, the bus’shornsounded.

Defeated, Rick turnedandlimpedbacktothebusasfast as he could. The undeadseemed to be coming out ofthe woodwork, and weren’tjust behind them anymore.There were sizable forcescoming from all directions.The bus backed toward them

and they boarded quickly.Juanita gunned theaccelerator, and the vehicleshot forward. The kids werecrying loudly now, and thewoman from the school wasdoing her best to consolethem.

Dull thuds were felt aswell as heard, as the heavyschoolbusrandownsporadicdead. Their numbers werebecoming less meager,

however, and a throng ofthem were coming frombehindandtotheleft.

The bus screeched to ahalt outside of the condowhere Chris and Martinezweresniping,andtheyexitedthe building rapidly. Thedoorspulledopenas thepairrounded the front of the bus,and they jumped in, runningup the three steps. Juanitastompedthegaspedal.

Martinezsatinoneofthegreen seats, his rifle held infront of him, barrel up. Heputhisheadonhiswristsandclosedhiseyes.

“He had to,” said Chrisas he watched the schoolshrinkinthedistance.

Dallas put his hand onMartinez’s shoulder. “Youdone her a kindness son,never forget that. And yousaved a buncha kids, andme

n’ him to boot.” DallasthumbedatRick.

“Did I?” Martinez kepthisheaddown.

The woman from theschoolapproachedthemeninthe front seats. “Thank youall so much for helping us,”she said. “We didn’t havemuch food left, and the kidswerescared.”

Rick looked up at her.“You look familiar, have we

met?”“I don’t know, you look

likesomeoneIknowtoo.AreyoufromSanFrancisco?”

Light dawned on Rick.“Areyouaflightattendant?”

The woman lookedconfused. “Yes, yes I am,howdidyouknowthat?”

Ricksmiled.“Debbie?”“Yes!Whoareyou?”“You looked after my

daughter on a flight from

Bostonlastweek.”“Sam! I remember, you

picked her up!” Her facedropped, “Oh my God,whereisshe?”

“She’s on Alcatraz,which is where we’reheaded.”

Relief flooded throughher. “What was your nameagain, I’m so sorry I can’tremember.”

Rick stuck his hand out.

“RickBarnes.”

12Doc Murda raged. He

flew around the warehouseloft knocking things over ashefumed.Oneofhissoldierswatched nervously, his fearscoming true as Murdasuddenly ran up and kicked

him in the balls. The mandoubled over and Murdapunched him in the back ofthe neck. In a fetal positionon the floor, he tried in vainto protect himself as Murdakickedhimoverandover.

“How could thishappen?”hescreamed.“Howdid you let them get away?Was there a part of the planthatwasunclear?”

“Theyg-gottherefirst!”

“Excuses! You woulddare?”

“But…”Murda pulled his 9mm

andshotthemanseventimes,shaking his head as hisformerfollower’slifedrainedaway.

“My apologies. Yourorders were simple. All youhad to do was get me thechildren.Iamnotaccustomedto failure, and yours was

monumental.” Shrugging hisshoulders, he looked up atPeeWee and Masta G, whohad watched the scene playoutwithoutcomment.“It’ssohard to find good help thesedays.”

Murda spunonhis heelsandsatatadesk,spreadingamapbeforehimashenodded.“We’ll hit them in themorning. I want them toknow we are coming as

well.” Masta G raised aneyebrow and looked at PeeWee,butPeeWee just stoodtherewithhistree-trunkarmsfolded,lookingdisinterested.

“Iwill spread fear like anewplague.Theythoughtthedead were terrifying? Waituntil I’m finished. We willspare few, but wewill makethem all think that surrenderis an option. I want femaleprisoners, but eliminate the

men.”“What about the kids?”

askedG.“The children have

already been polluted by thefilth of the police and theirilk. There can be noredemption. It pains me, butthey must be sacrificed aswell.Wewillfindnewmindsto mold, and our army willgrow and we will prosper.Masta G, if you would be

kind enough to lend me theColonel’sradio?Iwouldliketo inform our neighbors thattheirdoomhasbeensealed.”

G unclipped themilitarywalkie-talkieandhandedittoMurda, who set it down onthemap.Murdawalkedtotheedge of the loft and lookeddownonhispeople.MastaGand Pee Wee flanked him,standing slightly behind incleardeference.

“Citizens of the newworld!”heyelled,“Itookyouinandshelteredyoufromthegreatest plague in history! Iprovided you with weaponsand ammunition! Food,water, and pleasurablecompany!”

At this, cheering startedfrombelow, and someof themenhootedandgrabbedtheircrotches, pointing at fourchainedandnakedwomenon

onewallofthewarehouse.“The time has come for

us to cleanse a differentplague, one that has beenwith us for many years! Wewillmake thosewhoused tobe in charge bow to us!Wewill no longer succumb totheir traditionsand laws!Wewill purify this country,starting with San Francisco!Starting with Alcatraz! Noquarter will be asked, and

nonewillbegiven!Killthemall,saveafewfemalesforouramusement! I ask only thatyou fight, my brothers, andrevel in the slaughter. Ourweaponsandourwillshallbethe chisels that carve thefuture of our nation, and weshallmakeAlcatrazour newcapital!”

As with many of DocMurda’s motivationalspeeches, the desired effect

wasacquired.Thewarehousewent absolutely crazy withrage and pent frustrations.Some weapons were fired intheair,andseveralofthemenbegan to use the chainedconcubinesinfullviewoftheentirebuilding.

Thecheeringwentonfora full minute before Murdaraised his hands for silence.“Please brothers, containyourselves lest we bring

down the wrath of theplagued.Thetimeforrevelryis almost at hand, but let usfirst win this battle.” Theplace quieted down, and theoccupants of the buildingcould hearmuffled poundingonthewarehousedoors.

“We will need todispatchourunwantedguests.MastaG,ifyouwouldpleasetake a squad and eliminateanyoftheunholy?Pleasethin

theherdfromthewindowsifpossible to minimizecasualties to the troops. Iwish to have the armyprepared to leave at firstlight.”

“Cake.” G moved offdown the stairs to acquiresomeconscripts.

Doc Murda returned tohis desk and sat in his chair.He picked up the radio andtuned into the emergency

frequency.“..ord form the National

Guardintwodays.Ifyoucanhear, but can’t transmit, doyourbesttoescapethecityinany way possible. You canalso make your way to thedocks, secure aboat, andgetto Alcatraz. We have foodandwaterandammunition.Ifyou are trapped and cantransmit your location, wewilltrytogettoyou.Irepeat,

this is Detective CaptainMichael Meara of the SanFrancisco Police Departmenttransmitting from Alcatraz.The city is lost.The infectedoutnumberthelivingbylargenumbers. The infected seemto fear fire and water. Theywillturnbackfrommostfire,andtheoceanwillstopthem.They seem to fear nothingelse, so pleading and threatsare useless. The SFPD has

beendecimated,andtherehasbeen no word from theNational Guard in twodays…”

Murda keyed the mic:“Captain Meara? I have agroupofsurvivorswithme.”

“Who is this? Pleaseidentifyyourself.”

“My name is DocMurda.”

“You’readoctor?Thisisexcellent! Is there any way

foryoutogettoAlcatraz?”“As a matter of fact, I

wasplanningonpayingyouavisittomorrowmorning.”

“That’s wonderful, howmanyinyourparty?”

“Eighty seven…sixactually,” Murda looked atthe dead man on the floor,whowasbeginningtostir.

“I also haveword of theNationalGuard.”

“Say again? Repeat that

last! Did you say you havewordoftheGuard?

“I did! The NationalGuard has been defeated.Theygot trappedandtriedtomake a last stand in aWalgreens under the BayBridge.”

“Understood,” Meararepliedsolemnly.“Thankyoufor the information. It musthave been rough for you tosee them go down under an

onslaughtofdeadlikethat.”“On the contrary, it was

exactlywhatIwanted;itwasalmost as if Ihadplanned it.Ohwait!Idid!”

“Sayagain?”Murda articulated his

words clearly: “I said, youdumb son of a bitch, that Iplanned and executed anattack, using the living dead,ona fortifiedNationalGuardposition.Whenthescreaming

stopped, there were threesurvivors on the roof of thedrug store, all of whom Icaptured and torturedinformation from. One wasevenacolonel.Thecolonel’slackey told us where a storeof weapons was, which weappropriated to use on yourlittle commune tomorrowmorning. You stolesomethingfromme,andnowitisforevertainted.”

“Is this a joke? Stolesomething? What are youtalkingabout?”

“The children you oaf.The children from theschool.”

“So then that was youshootingatmypeople?”

“Bingo. I’m coming tokillyou,DetectiveMeara.”

“We’llbeready.”

Billy searched through

the cabinet, reading eachbottle, and discarding theones he didn’t want on thefloor. “Nope. Nope. Nope.”There was a small mountainof bottles and packets at hisfeetbeforehe foundwhathe

waslookingfor.“Any Olanzapine?

Risperidone?”askedAli.“Bulls eye! This is the

stuff.” He opened the bottleanddroppedasmallblueandredcapsuleintohishand.Heclosed the bottle up andpocketed it, grabbing twomore bottles as well. Therewere small white paper cupsand a water dispenser, andBilly filled one up and

swallowed the medication inonegulp.

“Can I get a look inthere,please?”

“Yeah, but there’s someRisperidone on the floorsomeplace. Sorry, I didn’tknowyouwantedany.”

Aligotonherkneesandlookedthroughthemeds.Shepicked up a small packet ofampoules, and grabbed asyringe. She had no pockets,

so shekept them in thehandwithoutthegun.

Billy sat down in one ofthe mesh-backed chairs.“Gottathink.”Alisatdownintheotherchair.

She grabbed amicrophone and pressed thebuttonmarked2.

“Dr Purkayastha? Canyouhearme?It’sAli, I’minthe level four wing with…my new friend. Are you

there?”Therewasnoanswer.“He’s probably chow.

They were banging on theinside of the level two wingtrying to get to us, or you,anyway.Hewasprobablyoneoftheonesthinkingofyouasachickenleg.”

“Hewasnice.”“Yeah.Well,weneed to

get out of here, and I stilldon’t know what to do withCyrus. Can’t leave him here,

butwecan’ttakehimeither.”“So what’s the plan

then?”“Well, how about we

take him out of here at gunpointandsethimfree?”

“Won’thekillpeople?”“Odds are he’ll be a

bowelmovement in a day ortwoanyway.Assuming thosethingspoop.Idunno.”

Ali smiled. “He scaresme.”

“He should. They said Iwas dangerous, but he’s justplain maniacal. Ok, let’s lethimout.I’llkeephiminfrontof me, you can open thedoors.” He handed her thekeys.

“Soundslikeaplan,”shesaid and stood up. BillyfollowedsuitandtheymovedbacktoCyrus’scell.

“Back so soon? Haveyoureconsideredmyplea?”

“Yeah. We’re gonna letyou out, but you’re gonnastay in front of me at alltimes, and when we getoutside the hospital, you’reonyourown.”

“I’llneedaweaponthen,William, and some properclothing.”

“All your problems. Imaybepsychotic,butI’mnotstupid.You’llgetnoweaponswhilewe’renearyou.”

“ButWilliam…”“Take it or leave it

Cyrus,that’sthedeal.”“Well, it seems as if I

have no choice then. Fine. Iacceptyouroffer.”

“Alrighty then, Ali openherup.”

Ali started to try somekeys, but Cyrus interruptedher.“Youwillneedtousethebutton in the cage my dear.Those are security keys, and

willnotopenthisdoor.”Alinoddedand ranback

to where the red buttonswere. There was a buzzingsound,andtheelectroniclockon the plastic cell doorclicked. Cyrus steppedforward, and Billy steppedback, putting a second handon his pistol. Cyrus slid thedooropen,asAlireturned.

“You’re going first, Aliwillopenthedoors,andIwill

shoot you if you tryanything.”

“Agreed.”“Ok,let’sbook.”The three moved off

together, just as Billy hadplanned. Cyrus walked withhis hands clasped behind hisback, Billy covering him.Theyleftthelevelfourwing,progressed back through theT-junction, and in fiveminutes came to their first

lockeddoubledoors,thedeadboy’s body splayed out nextto them. Ali checked thecorridor through the securitywindow before she openedthedoors.

“There’s one out there.Lookslikeaslowone.”

“Ok, I can deal with it,but you’ll have to cover himwhile I do.” Billy looked atCyrus,andAlinodded.

“K,doit.”

Sheopenedthedoor,andthe creature immediatelycame towards them. Ali andCyrus backed up, but Billystoodhisground.Onceagainthe creature stopped a fewfeetshortofBilly.

“What is themeaningofthis?” demanded Cyrus.“Whydoesn’titattackyou?”

The thing looked atCyrus, then back atBilly, itslefteyedrippingcrimson.

“It’s my superheropower!” Billy exclaimed.“Theydon’t…

The thing lunged,grabbing him by his shirt. Inutter surprise, Billy tried tofightthethingoff,onlytoslipon the bloody floor and fallon his backside. The gunwentclatteringaway,andthecreature was atop him, Billypushing its head away as ittriedtosnapathim.Thething

wasstrongand itpulledhardonBilly’s shirt. Itwasallhecould do to keep it frombitinghim.

“Shootit!”heyelled.“Idon’twanttohityou!”“Justshootit!”Aliranup,putherpistol

tothesideofthething’sheadand pulled the trigger. Theinfected’s head snapped left,and suddenly Billy washolding dead weight. He

threwitoffofhimandstoodup. They looked at eachother, and then looked atCyrus. He was pointingBilly’sgunatthem.

Ali started lifting herpistol,butCyrusstoppedher.“Uh-uh.Pointitatthegroundplease.”Shedid.

“You let me out of mycell. I consider this a boon.Suchwindfallsaredifficulttocome by. For that I thank

you,andwillnotharmyou.Iam not so gregarious as torequire your company, but Idoneedthisweapon.

Cyrus moved aroundthem,thebusinessendof thegun never wavering. As hewalked through the doubledoors, he glanced over hisshoulder to make sure thecorridorwas empty. “Best oflucktoyouboth.”

Cyrus ran down the

corridor and disappearedaround a corner. There weretwo quick gunshots, spurringBilly and Ali onward. Theycautiously turned a corner,only to find the corridorempty. The front doors werewide open, and daylight wasstreaming into the dimly litentryway.Theywalkeddownthehallwayandintothelight.

There was no sign ofCyrus, but his gunshots had

certainly attracted someunwanted attention. A hordeof undead was steadilymaking its way towards thehospital, and its remainingtwooccupants.

“Ohshit,”Billysaid.Two firsts had occurred

at that moment: Billy swore,andBillywasafraid.

14It was just after dawn,

the sun licking the waves.Martinez studied the bayfrom his sniper spot on ahuge water tower under acloudless sky. It looks like abilliondiamondsinthewater,he thought as he brought his

rifle up. He used his high-powered scope to view twovessels steaming toward hisislandrefuge.

Hekeyedthemikeonhisradio: “Two tug boats, fairlylarge, are coming across thebay from Fisherman’sWharfsir.Lookstobealotofgangbangersonboard,over.”

“Roger that Martinez,”Meara answered, “let meknow if they change course,

over.Barnes,comein?“GoforBarnes.”“Rick, they’re on the

way. How are you settled,over?”

“Excellent sir, all foursquads are in position. Wehave the docks and thenortheast center entrywayscoveredwiththefiftycal,andthe southeast gangway iscovered with two M60s.Roving squad two is on the

south end of the island, andnobody’scomingupthenorthendwithout serious climbinggear. Snipers are locatedthroughout the island, andwe’ve got claymores on thebeachandgangways,over.”

“OutstandingRick.Haveone of the reserve squadscover the north end of theislandjust incase.Pickthemoff with small arms fireshouldtheybestupidenough

totrytoclimbit,over.”“Will do sir. We’re

lookingforsomepaybackforthe school, and all hands arearmed to the teeth. Barnesout.”

Mearaputhisradiodownandlookedoutatthebay.Hecould just make out the tugsas they came directly atAlcatraz fromSanFrancisco.He smiled, hoping his rusewould work. All of the

information that had beentransmittedbetweenRickandhimself was bullshit. Therewere no squads, no heavyweaponry, and no mines. Inreality, they had eight riflesand twenty three fighters onthe island. If the oppositiongotafoothold,thenhismerryband of survivors wasdoomed. The kids werehidden very well, but howlong could you keep scared

kids a secret? They were inforthefightoftheirlives,andMearaknewit.Hehopedthatthe bad guys would belistening to the informationhe had just broadcast. Theboats didn’t seem to beturning, so hoping theybelieved himwas a waste oftime.

Fifteen minutes later, hecalledMartinez.

“Martinez, go to the

secondaryfrequency.”“Heresir.”“GivemeaSITREP.”“They’ve split up, and

oneboatishangingback.Theother looks to be headed forthedocks.”

“Howare theydoing forweapons?”

“Theirs are better sir.There’safiftycalonthebowofbothboats,andthefuckersare actually cheering and

waving around all sorts ofweapons. I saw two M47Dragons on the boat that’shanging back, but I can’tmake out much of the otherattacker other than the fiftycal. She’ll be rounding thesouthernpart of the island infive minutes. There’s a guyspottingfromthewheelhousewith the biggest pair ofbinocularsI’veeverseen,andIgetoutalot”

“Copy. Uh, what’s aDragon?”

“Anti-tank weapon, amissile.”

“Jesus…”This lastwas punctuated

with a full thirty seconds ofsilence.

“Sir,whatwouldyoulikemetodo?”

“Dammit, take out thegunner and spotter, then fireatwill.”Mearasighed.

“Copy, dialing in now.”Martinez wiped his eyes andsighted on the man at theheavygun.One shot throughthe chest sent the manspinning away from theweapon. The sniper nextsighted the man with thebinoculars. The target wastwohundredyards away, butthe distance appeared amerefifty feet when viewedthrough the scope. The boat

was bobbing all over theplace, bringing the man’shead in and out of thecrosshairs.With a slight leadonhistarget,Martinezwaiteduntil the unfortunate man’sheadjuststartedtocomebackinto the scope, then he fired.The man flew backwardsclutchingathisruinedthroat.

“Shit.”Martinez had missed his

shot,butstillkilledthetarget.

Nooneon theboat had seenthehit,as themanwasalonenear the port gunwale. Thedeadmanslumpedagainstthebulkhead,slidingdowntothedeck.Thesnipernextsightedonthewheelhouseandputa.308 caliber round into theboatpilot’schest,punchinganeatholethroughintheglasswindow. There were twoothersinthewheelhousewhocame to the pilot’s aid. One

went down with a bulletthrough his back, and theotherducked.

Martinez shiftedpositionslightly and sighted on thepersonmovingtowardthe.50caliber machine gun on thebow. “Nope.” The man washit center mass and floppedback.“How’s thatshit-bird?”Sighting the back of the tug,he dropped two more beforeanyone knew what was

happening. Panic ensuedshortly after, and the groupstartedfiringtheirweaponsattheislandfromaneighthofamile away. “Nice weapondiscipline, morons.” He wasswitching to fire on thewheelhouse again, when henoticedthat themanwiththebinocularswasgettingup.Hesmiled.Didn’t think of that,bonus!

Suddenly the contrail

from a missile streaked pasthisperchonthewater tower,andfiftycalibershellsrippedthroughthetowermetal,eachlarge hole spewing filthywater. The other boat hadbegunfiringonhim.

“Sir,gottabugouttomysecondary!”heyelledintotheradio.

Hedidn’twaitforareplyashe climbeddown the longladder to the island.Herana

short distance to a coveredblindhehadmadeandsetupthe night before and duckedinside. Flipping his radio tothe primary frequency,Martinez heard somethingquiteinteresting.

“-ssholes! We’re gonnakill all you motherfuckers!All of you! When the Dochears you fuckers shot first,he’ll tortureeverylastoneofyou!”

“How are you going totorture us if you kill us first,youmoron?”Meara’svoice.

“Fuck you! I’m gonnaslit you open! I can’t waitfor…”

Anewvoicecutin:“To the vessel attacking

Alcatraz:This isCommanderKevinMcInerneyoftheUSSFlorida. We have a firingsolution prepared, and wehave you acquired. This is

youroneandonlywarningtoturnbackbeforewesinkyou.Wehavemonitoredthe…”

“Nice try dickhead! Weain’t buyin’ it! Gonna do adanceonyourface!”

The man continuedshouting epithets andpromising death for anotherthirty seconds or so, afterwhich the tug boat simplyexploded. Debris shotskyward, and flaming and

broken forms flew from theback of the tug like torn ragdolls. The burning boatshowed a horrific starboardlist for a few seconds beforeit,quiteliterally,brokeinhalfand slipped beneath thewaves. Several strugglingshapeswere carried away bythe strong current of SanFrancisco Bay. Smokingsplinters, some floatingdebris, and a burning fuel

slick were the onlyindications that a boat hadbeenthereatall.

Martinez scanned thewaterwithhisscope, lookingfor enemies coming ashore.Therewerenone.Thesecondboatopenedupwith thefiftycaliber again, sprayingnothinginparticular.Anothercontrail flew over the island.Mighthave the toys,but theydon’t know shit about

trajectory headings, hethought.

Theradiobuzzedagain:“To the second vessel

attackingAlcatraz:Ceasefireimmediately and return toport or you will be firedupon! Repeat, cease fireimmediately! You willreceivenootherwarning!”Afewsecondsmoreofthefiftycaliber rounds, and the firingstopped. Martinez looked

through his scope at thesecondboat,andwasrelievedtoseeitturningaround.

“Sir! Second tug isleaving!They’regoinghome,sir.Requestpermissiontoshitmyself?”

“Denied. RTBMartinez.”

“Copythatsir.”

15“Give me your hand!

Reachdammit!”Ali jumped, but missed

Billy’s outstretched arm forthethirdtime.

“I’m trying, you’re toohigh!”

The moans and cries oftheundeadwerebeginningtoreachadeafeninglevelasAlicontinued to try to gainaccesstoarusty,saggingfireescape.

“REACH!They’reinthealley and coming! Half thecity is behind you! Jump oryoudie!”

Ali jumped one moretimeandBillygrabbedherbythewrist.Shewasheavy,and

hewasn’tHercules.“Climb up! Grab my

head,anything!”She frantically grabbed

his arm with her other handand yanked herself higher.She felt fingers brush herhospital bootie, andscreamed, redoubling herefforts. Billy pulled too, andtogether theymanaged together on to the cage-likemetalbars of the fire escape

landing, sans bootie. Therewere hundreds of frustrateddead reaching for them nottenfeetbelow.Shewaslyingon her back, panting whenBillystartedpullingherup.

“C’mon, they’re hungryandriled,let’sgetinside.”

Ali got to her feet asBilly started looking for away indoors. The firstwindow he tried wasunlocked, and he climbed

throughbefore reachingbackout to help Ali over the sill.The place was spacious, andeven had a fireplace. Therewas also an elderly zombiedressed in a blood drenchednightgown staggering towardthem from the kitchen,growling. She lookedpregnant,buthadeasilybeenin her seventies when shedied.

“Shit!” Ali yelled

pointing.Billy rolled left coming

up with a fireplace poker. Itwas one of the short types,barelyfifteenincheslong.Hecharged the dead granny andstruck the left side of herhead with the poker. Shedidn’tevenstagger,butcameonevenstronger,eagerathisproximity.

Billy started yelling andrepeatedlysmackingthething

in theheaduntil it collapsed.Asitstruggledtogetbackup,hepickedupanendtableandbrought it down on thecreature’s neck. He switchedbacktothepokerandfinishedthe job, but not beforethumping started somewhereintheapartment.

“Notonesecondtocatchour breath? Let’s check outthe apartment. She doesn’thave any bites on her that I

can see, so she may havebeen in here alone and justdied.” He indicated the deadwoman with a nod from hischin.

Alinoddedandstoodup.Thethudscontinued.

“Doyouthinkweshouldfind outwhere that’s comingfromfirst?”sheasked.

“Yeah, no moresurprises.Seeifyoucanfindanything to defend ourselves

with, and I’ll check thenoise.”

“No friggin way! We’resticking together. Sorry, butyou’re stuckwithme for theduration.”

Billy smiled. “Well, youcan handle yourself, but yousuckedwiththegun…”

Immediately upon

leaving the hospital, the twohad been set upon by agrowing horde of undead.They took off running, thecreatures inpursuit.Withinahalf amile,Alihad fired thepistol until the chamberclicked empty withoutscoringasingleheadshot.

She had lost the pistolsomewhere as she had beenrunning.Forahalfhour,theyhad run through the streets,

dodging the dead who hadaccumulated in smallgroups.A large group of more thanfifty appeared suddenly intheir path, and they had tothinkfast.Theopendoorwayof a convenience storebeckoned, and they ran in,slamming thewire-reinforceddoor behind them. By thelook of the place, there hadbeen a fight to the death inthestore.

Overturned shelves,crushed packages, and bulletcasings littered the floor.There was a great deal ofblood,butnobodies.

Duringtheirsearchoftheplace, the dead had reachedthestore,andstartedbangingon the wire-covered glass inthe windows and door.Grabbing a quick snack ofsoda and candy bars, Billyand Ali stuffed what canned

and preserved foods theycould fit into two blue clothshoppingbags.

The front windowshattered as the dead pulledon themesh. All were fresh,most with terrible wounds,their tattered clothingdrenchedwithinfectedblood.

Billy and Ali hurriedlyexplored the rest of the tinystore, and found a back doorand a small hatch in the

ceiling. The door had a peephole, and when Billychecked,heshookhisheadinadefiniteno,andtheylookedfor another way out. Theaccessledtotheroof,andAlidragged a step ladder over,the two climbing up andthrough quickly. As she wasshutting the trapdoor, thefrontwindowmeshgaveway,andthedeadpouredin.

The roof somehow

seemedsmallerthanthestorebelow.Billy peeredover onesideandlookeddownintoanalley. There were dozens ofmoaning corpses millingabout below. There was anapartment building aboutfifteen feet away, but thebuilding’s fire escapeoccupied part of the gap. Itwas still a long jump, and ifthey missed and fell, theywere done. There was no

comingbackfromthat.Billy took a running

jump andmade it easily.Alitossed her sack of suppliesacross the gap to Billy, thenmade the jump herself. Sheonly had hospital booties on,andshewas travellingacrossa gravel roof. She made it,but just. They climbed themetal structure gainingentrance through a brokenwindow on the third floor.

They entered a hall, andcould see immediately thattheir fortunes had improvedonly slightly. Several of thedoorshadbeenbrokendown,and familiar brown and redstains coated the walls andfloorinmanyplaces.

Moans seemed to comefrom all directions inside thebuilding, so the two took thestairs tothelobby.Thestreetin front of the building was

relativelyclear,asmostofthedead in the area werecongregated around the storetheyhadjustcomefrom.

Theirbriefpausetoscoutout their next move wasdisturbedbyaseriesofthudscoming down the stairsbehind them. They burst outthe front doors and ran left,skirting dead, reaching clawsastheydidso.

Less than half a minute

downthestreetanditbecameclear that there was nowhereto go, as the dead werecrowded so thickly in mostdirections. They dodgeddown an open-ended alleytrying to escape.Before theywere able to negotiate thenarrow path, the other endfilled with dead, and theyweretrapped.

Yet another fire escapeloomed overhead, but the

down-ladder was gone. Billytook a big running leap andmissed. He dropped his bagof goodies and tried again,this time managing to grabthe edge of the metalplatform. He pulled himselfup, then stretched one armdown toward the groundwhile he held on to the ironframewiththeother.

“REACH!” he yelled toAli.

Athoroughsearchofthe

apartmentyieldedlittleinthewayofweapons,saveforthealready bloodied fireplacepoker, and one of the legsfrom the smashed end table.Therewaspawingbehindoneof the closed doors, and anargument ensued about whattodoaboutit.

“Ifthesmallestscratchis

enough to kill you, then it’sstupid to open that door!”hissed Ali. “We’ve beenincrediblyluckythisfar!”

“Yeah, but it’s rightthere, this might be our bestchance to smoke it! Ifwedoend up staying here, I don’twant to sleep with the thingscratching at the door! Andhow do you know the‘smallestscratch’isenough?”

“Because I was only a

level two!They let uswatchTV in the common room!This is the same shit that’skilled theeastcoast. Itwasamiracle it took as long as itdidtogethere.Itwasalreadyoverseasbeforeitreachedthewest coast.” Ali lookedquizzical for a moment,brows furrowed. “Stay here?The whole area is infestedwith those things. They’lleventuallygetinhereandtear

ustopieces.”“Key word being

eventually. We need to killthisonenow,”hepointedthepoker at the door, “cuz it’smakingallkindsofnoise!It’sgonna attract every deadperson in a half mile radius!If we keep quiet, maybethey’ll all take a hike! Thenwecanatleastrestforabit.”

“Fine. Just like atMorningside then. I’ll open

thedoor,andyoubeattheshitoutofwhatevercomesout.”

Billylookedathispoker,then at the table legAliwasholding. He offered her thepoker, and pointed to herweapon.Alisighed,and theytraded. Billy held up threefingers and Ali nodded. Sheput her hand on the doorknob,andBillycounteddownusinghis fingers.Three, two,one,andAliyankedthedoor

open as Billy brought up histable leg in a Barry Bondsstance. The doorway wasempty. There was so muchblood in the room, it wasdifficult to tell what theoriginal color had been. Thebed, the end tables, therocking chair in the cornerand the walls were allcovered in gore. Even theceiling was dripping witharterial spray patterns. The

light from a blood-coveredlampshadethrewaneerieredglow throughout the alreadycrimsonroom.

Thetoeofabeigeslipperstuckoutfromthefarsideofthebednearthered-spatteredwindow. The shoe movedever so slightly, but thatwasit. The scratching they hadheard inside the apartmenthad come from over there,andnotnear thedooras they

had originally thought. Billycautiously entered the room,stepping in the few smallspots where there was noblood on the carpet. Helookedatthethingattachedtothe slipper and was mildlyimpressed.

“Wow, she really did anumberonhim.”

There was little left ofthe person in front of him.The entire chest and

abdominal cavities weregone. Ribs were strewnacross the floor along withtherightradiusandulna.Themeat of the right bicep wasmostly gone, and the leftforearm sported a randompattern of semicircle bites.The neck, face, and scalpweretornaway,andasingle,scarleteyetrackedBillyashemoved. The scratchingresumedasthethinggrabbed

the wooden bed frame withbloody, broken fingernails.Deep scratches were dug inthe wood of the bed. Thecreature was too mangled togetup,butthescratchingwasunbelievably loud. As Billysteppednearit,itreachedforhim with its chewed rightforearm and nub of lefthumerus.Billybeat ituntil itstoppedmoving.

There was muted

hammeringsomeplaceelseinthe building, but theimmediatethreatofdiscoveryseemedtohavebeenaverted.Billy looked out the stainedwindow to see that the deadoutside the building seemedto be meandering off. Alicame in and looked at thedead thing, immediatelywishingshehadn’t.

“Jesus, I thought the oldladywaspregnant!”

“Nope, that’s him in herbelly.”

Thetwoofthemdraggedthe dead woman from theliving area into thebloodstained bedroom,closingthedoorbehindthem.

Billygrabbedacoupleofcansofdietorangesodafromthe fridge. He moved to thelivingroom,satonthecouch,and put a soda can to hishead.

“Better,” he said, andheldacanupintheairforAlitograb.

She took it and sat in achairacrossfromhim.“Whatnow?”

“Wedrink these,andeatsomething. Pack as muchstuff as we can in whateverwecanfind,andkeepasquietas possible. We’ll leave assoon as it clears a littleoutside.

“Terrific.”“Oh? Had other plans

didja?”“No, but now that I’ve

had a few seconds to be lessterrified,I’vebeenthinking.”

“And?”“And… I’m locked in a

room with a sociopath, andthat’sthegoodnews.”

Billy smiled. “Lest weforget, I rescued you from alocked room surrounded by

the living dead and escortedyou to a safe place at greatpersonal expense.Youdidn’tevenmentiontheworstthing,scarier even than thezombies.”

She looked at himincredulously, “What couldpossibly be worse than anarmyofravenousdead?”

Billy pulled the can offhis forehead, popped the topandguzzledhalf thecontents

beforeanswering.“Cyrus.”

16Rick stared at the giant

black cylinder anchored twohundred yards off of thenorthern end of Alcatraz. Ittruly was a marvel. Amassive tube of metal that

coulddivebeneaththewaves,andsneakuponunsuspectingtargets to unleash a rain ofnuclearfire.

Afterquickintroductions(and thanks) via the radio,two small transport boatswere approaching Alcatrazfrom the sub. There wereeightpeopleaboard,sevenofwhich had weapons pointedinthegeneraldirectionofthesmall knot of people

nervouslywaitingatthedock.Meara’s radio buzzed:

“Eight on board sir, sevenheavy hitters, andmanagement.IseethreeMP-5s, three M-4s, and…holyshit sir, an AA-12. Looks tobetwosnipersontheconnofthatsubtoosir,bothwithM-24s.”

“Martinez,I’macopnota commando. Stop throwingweaponnumbersatme.”

“Sorry sir, but if theyturn out unfriendly, we’re inbigtrouble.”

“Then we should be onour best behavior. Everyone,weapons on the dock, theseshouldbethegoodguys,butIdon’t want to piss anybodyoff. Their trigger fingers areprobablyasitchyasours,andthey did just save ourcollectiveasses,sotheygetapassfornow.”

The black inflatablecrafts came to a halt at thedock. Chris Rawding andAnnaHargissteppedforward,to catch and secure linestossed up by some of thecrewoftheinflatables.Allofthe crew from the sub werewearing black camouflageand tactical webbing.Weapons from the newcomerswerepointedlow,butnot at the ground, fingers on

triggerguards.Two men from the first

boat jumped out and onehelped out a third.This thirdman put a white hat with ablack visor housing an eagleover a shield on his head ashe walked forward. “Thankyou,” he said to Anna andChris. “Where is CaptainMeara?”

Meara and Rick steppedforward.

“I’mMeara.”The man stuck out his

hand, which Mearaimmediatelytook.

“Captain, I amCommander McInerney,Captain of the USS Florida.We aren’t here to hurt you,takeanythingthatisyours,orconscript anyone, you havemy word. This having beensaid, we are in need ofinformation, and have some

togiveaswell.”“Commander, you are

most welcome here. Thankyou for taking care of ourlittle problem earlier. I don’tthink we would have beenable to hold out too longagainst those thugs with thefew weapons and personnelwe have. Please, come withusuptoourcommandcenterand we can talk at yourleisure.”

“I’dloveto.MayIbringsomeofmymen?”

“Yes, of course, this ismy second, Detective RickBarnes. Forgive meCommander, but we have asniper on you - I would liketocallhimoff,ifthat’sOK.”

“UnnecessaryCaptain. Ifyouwouldtakealookbehindyou?”

The captain’s face wasimpassiveasMearaandRick

turned around to seeMartinez, with his handsbehind his head, beingescorted to the dock by twounknownmen.Themenweredressed in black and hadautomatic weapons at theready. One of the men hadMartinez’s SR25 slung overhisshoulder.

The commander lookedback to one of the boats.“Lieutenant commander, if

youwouldpleasecalloff thedogs?”

A man nodded, andstepped out onto the dock.“Sir!Hammer Platoon, standdown! Repeat stand down!Assemble on the dock atmytwenty!”

Twomencame from thebrush to the left, two inwet-suits climbed over differentsidesofthedock,andanothersprung up from absolutely

nowhere,coveredindustanddirt. All were armed to theteeth.

As Martinez and hiscaptors reached thedock, thelieutenant commanderinstructed the men to returnMartinez’srifle.

“Well, they’ve comeprepared,” Rick said underhisbreath.

“Doesn’t always help,Detective Barnes.” The

Commander looked back athis sub with regret, “Notalways.”

They made the quickwalkuptoMeara’scommandroom, with small talk alongthe way. The residents ofAlcatrazlearnedthatthecrewof the Florida had sufferedtheirownoutbreakduringthepast twodays.Fourteencrewmembers had been killed,including onewho had taken

hisownlife,andtwothathadbeen euthanized after beingbitten.TherealtalkingstartedonceMeara and CommanderMcInerney were seated at arustymetaltable,thepleasantaroma frommultiple cups ofcoffee flooding the largeroom.

“I guess we need toknow two things,Commander.Numberone,wewould like news of what’s

happening throughout theUnited States. We reallydon’t know anything otherthan the east coastwas in asmuch trouble aswe are.Canyou give us anyinformation?”

McInerney took a longdraught from his ceramic49ers coffee mug and set itdown. He considered hiswords carefully, and spokeconcisely in his authoritative

voice.“ThereisnomoreUnited

States. Near as we can tell,every major city is overrun.TheUSmilitaryhas sufferedapproximately eighty percentcasualties, not countingdesertion, and the casualtyrateisn’thigheronlybecauseabout thirty percent of thenavy was at sea. ThepresidentandtheJointChiefsweresupposedtogotoBarro

Colorado, which is an islandinside the Panama Canal,because NORAD fell fromthe inside. I don’t know iftheymadeit.Wealsohaven’thad any word fromCOMPAC, the US PacificCommand, in almost thirtyhours, but the last thing weheard was that there wasserious consideration aboutdetonating a high yieldnuclear device over New

YorkCity.”“Jesus Christ…”

breathedBarnes.“Whataboutour forces in other countries,can’ttheybecalledback?”

“There have beenoutbreaks in every countryaround the world, there’s noplace immune. Our boys onforeignsoilareinnolessofafight than we are here.EuropeandAustraliaareinadesperate battle against the

undead, and China wentnuclear on Bejing this pastSaturday.”

Theroomwasdeadsilentas the commander tookanothersipfromhiscoffee.

“Gentlemen,ourcountry,our planet has been takenover by a hostile enemy. Anenemy that is incrediblydifficult to defeat. The mostsinister aspect of this war isthat we aren’t fighting a

foreign country, or a radicalgovernment, or eventerrorists. We’re battlinggrandma,andyoursister,andthe kid with the tricycle onthe corner. And we’relosing.”

“What can we do?”Barnesdemanded.

“We fight back Goddamn it!” shouted Martinez.”We organize, and gainstrength and firepower, then

we smash them back to theHelltheycamefrom!”

Commander McInerneysmiled. “I like yourenthusiasm son, I do. Whatyou’re suggesting is the plantoo, at least my plan. Theproblem is, as a military,we’re scattered. We needpeople and weapons, butmoreimportantly,weneedtoknow what we’re fighting.Weallknowthewho,butwe

don’t know the how or thewhy.Howandwhy the deadcome back to life, whythey’re hostile. What meanswecanusetodestroythem.”

He let theAlcatraz folksdigestthisinformationbeforehecontinued.

“What was your secondquestion?”

“Whatdoyouwantwithus?” Meara askedimmediately.

“I need a port of harborformyboat.AllthemajorUSportsareinfected,abandoned,or destroyed. We have anoperational functionality ofabouttenyears,notincludingcrew rotation, but we stillneed food, and a place toeffect major repairs shouldthe need arise. I would askthatwecoulduseAlcatrazasabaseofoperations.Iwould,of course, provide a military

force as security to becontrolled by DetectiveMeara, surveillance of SanFrancisco to scout, andmanpower to assist on foraymissions into the city if youwould agree to us sharingyour island. We would alsobe willing to share ourresources and engage inmutualsupport.”

Martinez and Wizneskispokeupatthesametime:

“Sold!”“Deal!”“This is a no-brainer,

Mike,”Barnesadded.“Well Commander, I

believe you should meet therest ofourgroup.Alcatraz ispolicecontrolled,butIwouldstill like to see what thecivilians have to say about amilitary presence here.”Mearasnorted,“Icanthinkofonewhomighttakeissue…”

“Fair enough, Captain.Shallwe?”

The best word to

describe their pursuers wasrelentless.

Afterdecidingtoholeupin the apartment, Ali andBillyhadbeenabletorestforaboutanhourbeforebangingstartedinthehallwayoutside.

When Billy looked throughthe peephole in the frontdoor, he only saw onecreature; nevertheless thething had somehowdiscovered them and wasdoing its best to breakthroughthedoor.

Theduohadalreadyshedtheir hospital attire, anddonned some of the elderlycouple’s clothes. Aftergrabbing two matching

yellow backpacks (multiplephotographs throughout theapartmentledthemtobelievethat the owners, althoughseptuagenarians, had beenavidbackpackers), theyfilledthemwith asmuch food anddrink as they could carry.They decided that discretionwas the better part of valorandusedthefireescapetogetto the top of the building.They roof-hopped a few

timesuntiltheylandedonthegravel rooftop of yet anotherapartment building, this onewithahuge,intricategarden.

“Wow, this is reallygorgeous!” Ali kept heradmirationtoawhisper.

“Yeah, it’s pretty, buthowdotheykeepfindingus?We haven’t made a peep!”Billywhisperedback.

“I don’t know, maybethey can smell us? See our

aurasorreadourminds?”“Great. EZP, Extra

Zombie Perception. If theystart to fly, I’m gonna getangry.”

“Yeah, and you’ll geteaten too. Anyway, look atthe flowers, and over there:Yellow bell peppers!” Shewalked down a flower aisleand over to the peppers,picked one, and bit into it.“Oh! Ohmy God, you gotta

trythis!”Asshesteppedpastaline

of knee-high blue and pinkhydrangea bushes, a bloody,bandagedhandshotout fromthe leaves and grabbed herjeans.Sheyelpedand fell onher backside, kicking at thehand. A second hand cameout and went palm down ontheflagstonewalk,therestofthe creature following. Billyrushed to her aid, whacking

the zombie on the side of itsfilthy cranium with his tablelegasAliattemptedtokickitaway.Billy smacked it againand the creature fell off toAli’s right side, but it didn’tletgoofherpants.Alikickedmore frantically, and thethingfinallylostitsgrip.Shescurried backwards like acrab, and Billy swung againand again until the creaturestoppedmoving.

Visiblyshaken,Alistoodup and started sobbing.“They’re everywhere. We’renever going to make it. Wecan’t even get down fromhere.”

“We’llbeOKifwekeepourheads.They’restupidandwearen’t.Besides,I’vegotaplan.”

“Aplan?”“Aplan.”“Caretoshare?”

“Yup. I gots me a boat!Let’s drag ourselves toAlcatraz!”

Ali smiled. “Good plan.Howdowegetthere?”

“I didn’t say it was allfigured out yet. There’resome details to iron out, butwe’llmakeit.”

Billypokedhisheadoverthe edge of the building,checkingtheavenuebelow.Itwas thick with the living

dead. He walked around theedge of the roof, realizingthattherewasnoplaceelsetojump to.Theywouldhave touse the street, carpet of deadorno.

Looking through askylight for a solid fiveminutes, neither of them sawany movement in theapartment below. Billyrapped his knuckles on thedirtyglass,butnodeadfaces

peered back at him. Hesearched for locks on theskylight to open it, but therewere none. He was about tobreak theglasswithhis tablelegwhenAlistoppedhim.

“Let’s try the door,” shesaidpointing.

Billy dubiouslyapproached the roof accessdoor. “It’ll never be op—”the door opened on the firsttry. Billy shrugged and, not

waiting forhiseyes toadjustfrom the sunlight, descendedintothedarknesstoawoodendoor. He put his head to thedoor for a minute and thenopened it wide.Ali followedhim into the third floorapartment, and they startedcheckingrooms.

The front door, whichHercules would have hadtrouble battering down, waslockedwitheightlocksanda

metal lockingbarattached toaplateinthefloor.

“This place is a fortress.Dead dude on the roof musthave locked himself in. Thatcrappy bandage on his handmustmeanhewasbittenfirst,and died locked in here, orevenontheroof.”

“Yeah,” Ali agreed.“What do we do now? Eachtime we kick back for aminute,they’reonus.Idon’t

wanttobelunch.”“Well, we’re going to

need to go back outside, andthatisn’tgoingtobefun.”

“Then let’s do it now,before I get too damnscared.”

They continuedsearching the apartmentagain, this time for anythinguseful they could scavenge.Themanwhohad lived herehad been a sports enthusiast,

evidenced by the manyphotos, trophies, and sportsequipment. Many of thephotos were of a man rockclimbing,buttwowereofthesame man holding a huge,freshly killed twelve pointbuck. There was no weaponin the picture, but Billydeduced that theremust be ashotgunor riflesomeplace intheapartment.

Ali stepped into one

room and gasped. Billy,behindher, tightenedhisgripon his table leg and, calmlyconsidering thecircumstances, asked whatwaswrong.

“There’saracingbicyclehung upside down in thisbedroom and it scared thecrap out of me. I thought itwasoneofthem.”

“Azombiehangingfromthe ceiling? Zombie

monkeys?”“Whatever. It was the

unexpected big-ness thatscaredme.”

The bedroom containingthe bicycle had beenconvertedintoastorageroomfor the apartment owner’sgear. In one closet, Billyfound a bag containingclimbing equipment,includingtwoiceaxesandanentrenching tool. There was

alsoaseriousbackpackmadeto carry climbing andcampinggear.

“Oh, I like this room,”Billysaidtohimself.

“You gotta give me oneofthoseaxes!”

“Finders keepers!Wouldyou check the fridge and seeif there’s anything we canuse?”

Ali huffed, but she leftthe room. Billy was able to

come up with a baseball batand some golf clubs inaddition to his ice axes. Allgoodweapons,hethought.

Billy was stillrummaging around in thecloset when he heardfootsteps behind him. Hespun quickly, raising one oftheaxes,butitwasAli.

She was smiling, andholding a camouflagecompound bow. “Finders

keepers.”“Wherewasthat?”“Next to the fridge,

which is prettywell stocked,but there’s blood all overeverything. This poor guymusthavegottenthirstyafterhewasbitten,andhebledonall the food and drinks. Idon’t think we should touchany of it. There were onlyeight arrows in this littlequiver, plus these four

attached to the bow.” Sheheld up the bow for Billy’sinspection, waving her handas would a hand model, toindicate four vertical arrowsheld to thebowwith amini-quiver.

Billy nodded hisappreciation and continuedsearching the closet, findingtwo unopened packages ofbroad-headhuntingarrowsonashelf.

Ali took the arrowsreluctantly.“Ijustdon’tknowhowcouldyoudoit…”

Billywas confused. “Dowhat? I didn’t do anything,didI?”

“No, not you, the guywholivedhere.HowcouldheshootBambi?”

“Mmmm Bambi…Tastes almost like chickenexcept forall thedeer.Don’tknock it, now we have a

distanceweapon.”They searched a little

more and found a flashlight,somecannedgoodsanda jarof what looked like beefjerky. Ali had been right,there was no way to salvageanything from the bloodcoveredfoodanddrinkintherefrigerator. Consumingsomething from there wouldundoubtedly infect whoevertried. A fewminutes later, it

wastimetogo.The trip from the third

floor apartment to the tinylobby was uneventful. Theytriedtheotherthreeapartmentdoors on the way down, butall were locked. As the twoexitedthedoorintothelobby,whichwasreallyasmallhallwith some mailboxes, thestairwell door closed behindthemwithasnick!Alitriedit,butitwaslocked.

“Shit,”shewhispered.Their only remaining

options were the front door,and a steel door that clearlyledtothebasement.Theglasspanels in the frontdoorwereconcealed by curtains andreinforcedwithanornateironmesh for security. Billygently parted the curtains topeek outside, and peereddirectly into the blood redeyes of an undead telephone

repairman. Billy shut thecurtains, but thedamagewasdone. The thing on the otherside of the door began towail, and started banging ontheglass,whichbrokeonthethirdhit. Itgrabbedthemeshand started to pull for all itwas worth. The curtains fellaway, and the two survivorslookedoutuponaseaofdeadfacesallcomingforthedoor.

“No.No,no,no!”

Alistartedpullingonthedoor they had come through,but it wouldn’t budge. Panicwassettingin.

“No time,wehave togodown!”hetoldher.

“And get trapped in thefriggin basement? Are younuts?”

“Well, yes actually, butwestillneedtogo!Now!”

Billy’s exclamation waspunctuatedbythesnappingof

theflimsyirongratecoveringthewindow.Thesheerweightoftheundeadtryingtogetinwas compromising the doorframequickly.Heranforthebasement door, pulling Alibehindhim.Thedooropenedonto wooden stairsdisappearing down intocomplete darkness. Heflipped the light switch andwas rewarded with nothing.Ashewasrummagingaround

inhispack for the flashlight,the front door came crashingin, and the tide of zombiessurged forward. The ones inthe front fell with the door,and the ones behind crushedtheirhaplessbrethrenas theyshambledtowardtheirprey.

Aliclosedthedoorhard,almostknockingbothofthemdownthestairs.

“Now I can’t see!”Billycomplained as he fished

through the pack by feel.Seconds later a slap soundedontheothersideof thedoor,then thumping, then thehowlingstarted.Therewasanarmy of undead less thanthreeinchesaway.

Standingonthestairs, inthe dark, with legions ofcannibals at her back, Alibegan to cry. She screamedwhenabeamoflightslashedthedarknessandhitherinthe

face.“Let’sgo!”Billygrabbed

her hand and they hurrieddown the stairs. There wereboxes and assorted stuff inpileseverywhere.Storageforthe renters upstairs. Smallcasement windows werepainted over, allowing nolight to speak of into thesubterraneanroom.

“Now what?” shedemanded.

“I’m out of options, kid,it’syourturn.”

“What? You trapped usinhere?”

“Yeah, as if there was aflying unicorn up there towhisk us away! What wasyourplan,huh?Fighttheminthelobbywithabow?”

She started crying again.“Idon’twanttodielikethis!They’ll tear us to pieces.Pieces!”

Billy shifted the lightback and forth looking foranything tohelp them.Ashewasfranticallysearching,Alitrippedonsomethingandfellsideways.He turned the lightonherandshewassittingonthe floor, knees to her chincrying hard. She had givenup.He hurried over to try toconsole her when he sawwhatshe trippedon. Itwasatripod with a small powered

winch attached. Billy’s eyeswentwide,andhepannedtheflashlight around the floorwithsuddenhope.

Ali covered her ears toshut out the pounding andmuffled noises from theoppositesideofthedoor.Shelooked up and saw Billysearching.

“Whatareyoudoing?”He ignored her, in favor

of moving a few boxes to

clearaspaceonthefloor.Hisrearrangingrevealedaraised,roundmetaldiscinthefloor,with hinges and a recessedhandle. He grabbed thehandle and groaned as heheavedupward.Itwasheavy,but it came up, the hingeprotesting with a shrillscream. Rusty rungs,embeddedintothewallofthecylindrical opening,descendedintodarkness.

“Comeon!”She joined him among

theboxes,wipinghereyesonher sleeve, and cautiouslyapproached the edge of thehole in the floor, lookingdown. “I’m not going downthere.”

“So you’re gonna what?Stayhere?Nowwho’scrazy?Pieces remember? Not onlyare you going down there,youhavetogofirst!”

She took a quick stepback, her voice took on apanicked edge. “What?Why?”

“Because I need to shutthecover,nowgo!”

Ali studied the opening,thenglancedbackthroughthegloom to the door at the topof the stairs. Already therewere thin slivers of lightstreamingthroughthetopandside of the door. It was

starting to give way. Inmoments,dozensofravenousundeadwouldflooddownthestairsandripintoher.

She passed Billy thebow, and resolutely beganinching down the slipperyrungs.Hepassed theweaponbacktoherwhenmostofherwas below the basementlevel.

Following quickly, heshined the light below, but

couldn’tseepastAli’sslowlydescending outline. Hereached up and grabbed asecond handle on the bottomof the round cover. Itwouldn’tbudge.

“It’swetdownhere!”Alicalledtohim.

Billy put the light in hisfront pants pocket, and hungallhisweightfromthehandleof the iron cover, his legsdangling into space below.

He startedwiggling, banginghiskneeononeof theladderrungsbefore theheavymetallid started inching forward.Suddenly the covercompleted its fall all atonce,slamming closed andbreaking Billy’s grip on theslimyhandle.Hefell,landingwithasplashinshallowwateratthebottomoftheshaft.Hotshiversofagonysplintereduphisleg,butthepainwasbrief

as his backpack hit anotherobstacle and propelled himforward. His head connectedwith something solid and hewasoutcold.

“Billy! Billy are youOK?Ohshit…”

Ali didn’t relish beingdown in thiswet, slimyshaftalone, but it would beinfinitely worse if Billy wasdead. Then she would bedown here with a zombie.

She pulled the still litflashlightfromhispocketandshineditonhim.Inthemurk,she couldn’t tell if he wasbreathing, so she felt for apulse,andwasrewardedwitha strong thud-thud under herfingers.Sheheaveda sighofrelief, and panned the whitebeaminbothdirectionsdownthe egg-shaped brick-and-mortarcorridortheywerein.

The passageway went

both right and left as far asthe flashlight illuminated.Asshe was turning around tocheck behind her, shewhackedthelightintooneofthe ladder rungs and it wentout.Ifshethoughtitwasdarkin the basement above, thenthe black down here wasabsolute.Therewasafleetingmoment of panic as she hitthe flashlight with her palm,butitcamebackon.

She could barely discernshuffling footsteps scrapingacross the manhole cover afew yards above her. Thebasement was no longerempty.

18Commander McInerney

radiated authority as headdressed the citizens ofAlcatraz. He had alreadydiscussed the fate of theworld, and thepros andcons

of using the island as a baseforhissubandtroops.Afewpertinent questions wereasked by the group, but oneman was proving difficult.Yes, Mr. Martingale wasdefinitely going to be aproblem.

“So now we’ve gonefrom a police state to amilitary dictatorship?”Martingale demandedpeevishly.

“I assure you sir, therewillbenodictatorship.Iwillnot attempt to force you intoanything, or steal from you,but each person here willneedtocontributeifwearetosurvive.Ifwe—”

“Contribute what? Willwe be forced into slavelabor?”

“Sir, I just told you Iwould not be forcinganyone…”

“Yes Commander, butwhat assurances, other thanyourword,areyouwillingtogive?”

“I’ve given orders for acomplement of weapons andammunitiontobegiventothepolice who were here whenwe arrived. There will betrainingfortheseweaponsforanyone who desires it. Inaddition, this man,” thecommander indicatedasailor

to his left, who steppedforward, “is LieutenantCommander Pitt. Pitt is anexpertonmilitaryhistoryandtactics, and is in charge ofHammer Platoon,DetachmentBravowhiletheirOIC and the rest of theplatoonisotherwiseengaged.Lieutenant Commander,pleasetellthemwhatyoutoldmeaboutAlcatraz.”

Pitt stood tall and

addressed the room with hishands clasped behind hisback. “You folks had anexcellent idea to get awayfrom the city. There wasreally no other option. Youchose this island becauseeven though theproximity tothemainlandisn’tasfarawayasyouwouldhaveliked,youhave a distinct barrierbetween you and the LimaDeltas, the undead. It was a

good plan, but there areissues. This is a partly coldweather climate near the sea.You’ll eventually need togrow food here, but I’mguessing you don’t have theresources, andmaybenot theknow-how. In addition, thecold weather and rocky soilon this island could defeatyour crops before you startgrowing. You’ll need to runforays into the city to get

supplies, which is a hugeinfection risk. Then there’reyourdefenses.Forrightnow,the distance you’ve putbetween yourselves and theLimas is good, but you havenowallsatthebeaches.Whathappens if ten thousandLimas decide to walk acrossthe bay and onto the shorehere? They’re dead, so theydon’t need to breathe. Didyou see Pirates of the

Caribbean? Once they figurethat out, they’ll come acrossthe bottom and you’ll getinvaded. You’re going toneed walls, gunemplacements, buttresses,battlements, etcetera. But themost important drawback ofthe island is that it’s anisland.”

This last was met withconfused stares, includingfromMearaandBarnes.

Pittclarified,“Youcamehere because it’s an island,but you didn’t take intoconsideration, or didn’t havetime to think about, whereyou could run if you had anoutbreak. Eventually,somebodyhere’sgoingtodie,and there’snoplace to run iftheLimas are already on theisland. You’ve done greatwork,butthere’sstillalottodo, and we are willing to

help.”“But you’ve still parked

a nuclear submarine next toour living quarters!”Martingaleshrieked.

One of the commandosthat had caught Martinez bysurprise leaned over to himand whispered: “Is this dudeforreal?”

“Youhavenoidea…”Martingale continued:

“Now that we’ve learned

there may be no spare partsforyourreactorcoming,howcanwe be surewe allwon’tdieof radiationpoisoning,oranyothernuclearfactor?”Hestabbed his index finger atMcInerney, bypassing Pittaltogether, “You’ve said wecan use your help, but youreally work for us anyway!Weare theAmericanpeople,and you swore an oath toprotect ourway of life, from

allenemies,bothforeign,andDOMESTIC!Ifyouthinkforonesecondthatwe…”

“Mr. Martingale, SHUTUP!” McInerney wasincensed.“Youseemtothinkthat some agency is going tosweep in and make this allbetter! Well, all the peoplemanning those agencies arestumbling around looking tocannibalize the folks theywere sent to help! They’re

dead! All of them! Thecountry you knew isGONE!Weareherebecausewe, justlikeyou,havenoplaceelsetogo.”

The commander took adeep breath and seemed tovisibly calm himself. “Whatwe are doing here isdiscussing options that willbe mutually beneficial to allconcerned, andyour constantinterruptions and outrageous

accusationsarenothelping.Ifyou have any intelligentquestions or anythingintelligent to add, by allmeansdoso.Ifnot,pleasedonotwasteourtime.”

Not giving Martingaletime to interrupt, McInerneyturned to the LieutenantCommander: “LieutenantCommander Pitt, if youwouldconcludeplease?”

“Thankyou,sir.AsIwas

saying,it’salmostJuly.Ifwewant to survive pastSeptember, we will need toforay into the city and getsome things. Specificallygrowable foods, tools, andconstruction supplies. Weneed to make a wall aroundthe scalable portions of thebeach. It won’t need to behuge, just something we canusetohampertheprogressofthe Limas, maybe six to

seven feet. Also, and this istremendously important, wewillneedtofashionweapons,probably pole-arms of somesort.”Pitthelduphishandtoalleviate the oncomingquestions, “Ammunition is afinite resource, especially asthere aren’t any morefactories in production. Weshouldonlyfireourweaponsasalastresort,conservingasmuch ammo as possible for

any crowds we mayencounter, in an attempt toalleviategettingswarmed.”

Pittcontinued,“Ibelievethat the first thing we doshouldbetoisolatepeopletothe cells, with a mechanism—”

Martingalewent berserk.“IKNEW IT!” he screamed.“We’ll all be slaves to theiragenda!”

He carried on for a

moment longer before AnnaHargis stepped up andpunched him in the face.Martingale staggered back,holdinghisassaultednose.

“You’re going to get uskilled and I won’t have it,”Anna yelled. “We all almostdied getting here, and nowyouwanttospitinthefaceofthe best help we couldpossibly have? Are you anIDIOT?” She raised her fist

as if to give him a secondwallop, and Martingalecringed, but Dallas grabbedher by the waist, lifting hereffortlessly as if she were achild.

Dallasheldherupasshestruggled momentarily.Everyonelookedbetweenherand Martingale until sheregained her composure.Dallasgentlyallowedherfeettotouchtheflooragainwhen

he was certain her killingmood was gone. “Ya madeyerpoint,kid.Heain’tgonnabemouthin’offforaspell.”

Sporadic hooting andapplause went through thecrowd,andaslewofchildren,Rick’s daughter Sam amongthem, came from the nextroomtoseewhat thehubbubwasabout.Samwasengagedin an imaginary conversationon her now useless cell

phone.Rick stepped up and

quieted everyone with hisraised hand. “Alright people,this is exactlywhatwedon’tneed. Fighting amongstourselves is howwedie.Weneedtoworktogether.Allofus. Please, nomore fighting,and if anyone wishes to beheard, I’m sure theCommander and theLieutenant Commander will

takeconstructivequestionsatthe end. LieutenantCommander?”

Pittwasnotsmiling.“As I was saying, and

please let me finish beforeyou interrupt, I think thatputting people in cells byfamily is the best way tocontain an outbreak here onthe island. We can constructsimple locking mechanismsthatahumancouldfigureout

butnotaLima.Thiswaywecan each egress the cellswhen needed, but a potentialinfection risk is alreadyquarantined. Nobody islockedinbuttheLimas.”

Nods of agreement andsome small banter wentthrough the crowd. This guyseemed to have it all figuredout.

“Are there any practicalquestions?”

A little boy, who hadwandered into the meetingholding the hand of a youngwoman,stuckhishandintheair.

NowPittdidsmile.“Youinthefront?”

“Can I go in thesubmarine?”

Pitt glanced atMcInerney. “That could bearranged.”

Therestofthechildren’s

handsshotupinstantly.“I think we can take

everyone aboard who wouldliketovisit,”saidMcInerney,“perhapsinsmallgroups.”

Samsteppedforwardandspoke to her father. “Daddy,Mommy wants to talk toyou.”

Rick smiled. “We’realmost done here, honey, wecanplayinaminute.”

“NoDaddy, she said it’s

important.” She held the cellphoneatarm’slengthtowardRick.

Rick took thephone andput it to his ear listening.Therewasnothing.Frowning,he looked down at Sam,holdingthephoneoutforhertotake.

“That isn’t funny, Sam.Trynottodothatagain,OK?

Distressed,Sam took thephone.“Butdaddy!”

Rick was beginning torespondwhenthephonerang.

19DocMurdacontainedhis

rage as best he could. AUnited States nuclear attacksubmarine? Obviously thatwasdifficult tocontendwith.

The momentum had shifted,and not in the direction hewanted it to.Murda had lostquite a few soldiers tomisfortune,orperhapsduetohisanger.Wouldtheoutcomeof the battle have beendifferent if he hadn’t let thecatoutofthebagpriortotheattack?Probably.Sourgrapesthough. There was no re-doonthisone,hissoldiersweredead.

In addition, as he grilledtheoccupantsoftheboatthathad not been sunk, hecouldn’tcomeupwithaplanonhowto takeAlcatrazwithitbeingguardedbyoneofthedeadliestweapons ofmodernwarfare.Yes, thiswouldtakesomethinking.

“Soitjustexploded?”“Yeah,” Masta G

answered, “there was thiswarning from a guy named

McAllister, or McNamara orsomething,butweallthoughtit was the people on theisland talkin’ shit. Then theotherboat just blewup.Thatsameguytoldustoleave,andwedid.”

“Iunderstand.”Murda looked at another

man. “And what about themissiles?”

“Wecan’tfigureouthowto make them work. There’s

instructions on the sides, butwhen we follow them, thelittle green light don’t comeonlikeit’ssupposedto.”

“Agreenlight?”“Yeah Doc, the

instructions say that a greenlight needs to be on, or itwon’tshoot.”

“So you’re telling methat you can’t fire mymissiles because of a greenlightthatwon’tlight?”

“Well,yeah.”“I see. So while the

attack crewwas risking theirlives,andinfactdyingtotakea fortified position guardedby no less than a nuclearattack submarine, myengineering crew was foiledbyabrokenlight?”

The man backed up astep, looking warily around.“I…I’llfigureitout!”

“Unnecessary. Pee Wee,

would you please escort thisfoolout?

Before the man couldbolt,PeeWee’sgiganticarmswrapped around his frame.Theman thrashed about, butPeeWee hefted him as if hewereachild.Askinnychild.Pee Wee walked to thestained window with thestrugglingman in a crushingbear hug. He pinned thehapless banger to the wall

withonemassivehand,whilehe opened the big stockroomtransom with the other. Themoans of the undead outsidebecame louder as the glassopened. The giant picked upthesmallermanonelasttimeandpitchedhimoutthethreestory window of thewarehouse loft. Theunfortunate man let loose ashort scream before hisimpactwiththestreetbelow.

Pee Wee closed thewindowand latched itbeforefoldinghisarmsandstandingsilentonceagain.

“Imbecile. G, Pee Wee,wouldyoupleaseaccompanymetothemissiles?

The three gangers tookthe metal stairs to thewarehouse floor, whereseveral of the men from thesurviving tugsaton theflooror in tattered old chairs

lookingdejected.Murda gently put his

hand on the shoulder of oneman who looked up withpoorly-concealedapprehension.

“You men are heroes,”intoned Murda. “Youcouldn’t fight a submarinewith a tugboat. Retreat is anoption when facing anoverwhelming force, alwaysrememberthat.”

Afewofthemenlookedateachothercrossways.

“While Idonotcondonefailure,youhadnochoicebutto come back here. Do notdespair, we will achieve ourgoalsmybrothers.”

Murda,MastaG,andPeeWee continued across thewarehouse floor to the areareserved for munitionsstorage. They approachedfour wicked-looking green

tubes, one of which waspropped up on a tripod. Thetop of the cylinder sported alargesightingmechanismandyellow lettering stenciled onthe side of the tube read:BGM-71FTOW2B.

Murda got down on oneknee and put his finger tosmaller lettering, reading thearming instructions, movinghis finger as he read. Hewalked around the missile a

few times, touching a panelhere, and clicking a buttonthere. He lifted a red safetycover and clicked a silvertoggle switch. A small redlight on the sightingmechanismflashedtolife,butthe large green light on themissile itself remained dark.Murda tapped the light twicewith his index finger and itsputtered, then glowedbrightly.

“Idiot,” he said, androlledhiseyes.Heflickedthetoggle back down and re-covered it with the safetyswitch. Murda looked up atMastaGandsmileda toothysmile. “Now we’re inbusiness.”

20Billy heard moaning.

Mournful and full of pain.Moaning. Why did thatdisturb him so? There wassomething about that sound

that inspired dread, but thereason escaped him.Zombies!Heopenedhiseyesbut vision didn’t come. Hewas blind. He tried to boltupright, but his head was intorment, and he immediatelyfeltnauseated.Slumpingbackdownintoslimymoisture,heheld his hand up in front ofhis face.Nothing.Hemovedit closer and closer until itbumped into his nose. Yup.

Blind. There couldn’tpossibly be a worse time tolose his eyesight. Sitting upmore slowly this time, themoaning came back, andBilly realized it was he thatwasmoaning.Hisheadreallyhurt, and he put his hand tohis damaged cranium and itcameawaysticky.

Blind, soaking wet, andwithabustedhead,hetriedtostand,onlytohavesomekind

of demon have its way withthenerveendingsinhisrightankle. He stood and tried tofeel his foot to see if it wasbroken, but he got dizzy andfell on his backwith a smallsplash. The cool water feltgoodon thebackofhisneckand scalp, but it stank, andexcruciating comets whizzedpasthisclenchedeyelidsforamoment.

“Excellent,” he said,

surprising himself with theraspy sound that emanatedfromhisthroat,“asewer.”

Memories came floodingback fast enough to have thesynapses in his brain rebel.Sam, Alcatraz, the hospital,roof hopping, Cyrus, thebasementandthegrateinthefloor. Ali. Where was Ali?She must have thought hewasdeadandleft.

Standing up even more

slowlythis time,hefoundhecouldputweightonhis rightfoot,butatgreatprotestfromhisnervoussystem.Hetookatentative step, and drew ahissing breath from the pain,but he didn’t go down. Atleast he could stumble, notunlike his cannibalisticcounterparts overhead. Hestretchedhis arm to the rightandfoundarough,dankwall.

His anklewas extremely

painful,buthewasblindandnotadoctor,andsounabletodoanythingifitwerebroken.Not that his ankle mattered,because he was blind, thusdoomed. It must havehappened when he hit hishead.

Stretching both arms outtothesides,Billywasabletofigureoutthatthesewerwentin two directions, but hedidn’tknowwhichwaytogo.

“Eeny-meeny,”hestarted,butthen he just walked forward.After about twenty painfulsteps, he heard a splashingecho arising from…somewhere. The soundseemed to come from alldirections in these wet,confined quarters.He lookedboth ways beforeremembering he was blind,thencontinuedforward.Morerepetitive splashing noises

cametohim,andthistimehecould tell whatever wasstalking him was comingfrom behind. He felt for theiceaxeonhisbeltandpickeduphishobblingpace.

The splashinggot louderand louder, and Billy knewthat he could never outrunsomething he couldn’t see,especiallyifhehadaninjuredleg. Turning to face hisassailant,hewaitedpatiently,

heftingtheaxe.Suddenly, Billy realized

hewasn’tblind.Hecouldseea bobbing light coming fromsome distance off. As thelightgotcloser, thesplashinggotsignificantlylouder.

“Stop! Billy don’tmove!”

Breathingaheavysighofrelief, it dawned on him thatAlididn’tleavehimfordead,but had left to reconnoiter.

She stopped about twentypaces from him. He heardsomething like wood beingdrawn over wood. Theflashlight beam shined upinto his face, and he coveredhiseyeswithhisforearm.

“Say something!” shehissed.

“Ouch?”Billyheardthatwoodon

woodsoundagain.“Thank God! I didn’t

knowifyouweregoingtodiebackhere,youtookawickeddigger down the ladder andthumped your head butgood!”

“These things I know,tell me something new. Buttellmeafteryougetthelightouttamyface.”

“Oh, sorry. I wanted toseeyoureyestomakesure...”

“Yeah, I get it. I don’tblameyou.”

Ali walked a little bitpastwhereBillyhad stoppedand shone the light behindhim, in the direction he hadbeen traveling. She hadaffixed the flashlight to herbow with a black elasticlanyardfromherappropriatedbackpack and was using herfreehandtoholdanarrowtothebowstring.

“Were you gonna shootme?”

“If you had red eyes?You bet your ass. Lookbehindyou.”

He turned around, andwas very happy she had toldhim to stop. Five feet awaythetunnelended,butnotinawall.Alisteppedclosertotheedge, and panned the lightaround. There was a gapinghole some forty feet across.Sewer water trickled downfromfourlargepipesintothe

chasm, which looked likesome type of overflowcollectionarea.Billygingerlyhobbled forward and lookeddown.Eightorsofeetbelow,therewasaconcretewalkwayspanning a deeper openingringedbyarustyironrailing.Furtherdownintheholewasdarkwater.An injured anklewould have been the least ofhisworries if hehad steppedout into nothing and landed

downthere.Moreladdersranupfrom

the overflow pool into fourothertunnelsliketheonetheywereinnow,eachtunnelwitha slow trickle of nasty waterthataddedtothepool.

“What’s in the otherdirection?”

“Itjustkindofgoes,”sheanswered,“Istoppedwalkingafterafewminutes.Therearesome other ladders like the

one we climbed down, but Icouldn’t see through thecovers.Awaysdown there’sa sideways grate that leadsintothestreet,butwecan’tfitthrough, it’s too small. Oh,and the street above isn’tempty anyway, I could seethem up there stumblingaround.”

“Doesn’tmatter,wehavetogothiswayanyway.”Billypointed toward the chasm.

“That’swest,andweneedtogothatway.”

“How do you knowwhichwayiswest?”

“Senseofdirectionisoneofmysuper-heropowers.”

“Oneofmineisdetectingbullshit,” she countered, butstepped back to let him leadtheway.

Dizzy, he climbed downthe ladder as Ali illuminatedthearea.Sheheldthebowto

her side and followed, thetwo continuing around theconcrete pool.Once oppositethe ladder they haddescended, theyhadachoiceto make. There were twotunnelsrunningroughlywest.

Billy pointed to the leftsidetunnel,“Thatone.”

“Whythatone?”“Why not? You’ve got

thelight,yougofirst.”“Howutterlyvaliant, sir.

How about you go and Icoveryou?”

“Myheadhurts.”Billylimpedforwardand

gingerly put his injured footon thebottomrung.Both theiron and his ankle held hisweight,sohebegantoclimb.Ali flashed thebeamof lightupwardintothemouthof thetunnel, which seemed to beclear. She followed him upthe ladder and they began to

trudge west. After a fewdozen paces, they coulddiscern dim light ahead. Itgrew gradually brighter untiltheyreachedthesource:notaway out, but a series ofsideways grates to the streetabove,spacedaboutfiftyfeetapart.

Billy turned and put hisfingertohislipsinashushingmotion,thenhepointedtothegrate.Althoughtheanglewas

steep, the legs of manystaggering forms could beseenthroughthesmall,barredslit in the curb. Theycontinuedoninsilence.

As they reached thesecond to last grate, thetunnel began to pitchdownward. Now there werenewer, smaller passagesbranching off of the egg-shaped brick tunnel that theywere in. A large beige tool

box with a lock on it stuckout of an alcove to the left,andtheconditionofthewallsheregaveone the impressionof recent work. There weredimly lit work lights; lightbulbs in little yellow cageswith hooks, suspended fromthe ceiling of the tunnel in adaisy-chain configuration. Aladder led upward to amanholecoverinthestreet.

Billylookedthoughtfully

at the lights, “Power’s stillon.”

The grade was a steepdownangleastheycontinuedon,andleveledoutatfiftyorso paces. To the left, twosteps led up to a rustymetaldoor.AliandBillyexchangedglancesastheyheardsobbingthrough the door. Billyclimbed the two stairs andknocked on the door. Shaveandahaircut… They heard

a shocked gasp, and thennothing. Billy tried again:Shave and a haircut… Nothing. He tried the door,but it was locked. Onemoreattempt at knocking: Shaveand a haircut… was metwith:twobits.

“Let us in!” Billywhisperedharshly.

“How do I know you’renot infected?” came awoman’s whispered voice

throughthedoor.“Uh, because we’re

talking? We’re not infected,letusin!”

“We? Who’s we? Howmanypeopleareoutthere?”

“Just my friend and me,wehaven’tseenanyonealiveinawhile.Pleaseletusin!”

A hushed conferencetranspired fromwhoeverwasontheothersideof thedoor,then silence. Billy shrugged

and theywereabout tomoveonwhen they heard the doorlock ratchet open. A lightshinedoutfromthecrackandfoundthem.Billytookastepforward, eager to meetwhoever this was, but aman’s voice stopped him,whispering: “Not so fast!Show me your arms andlegs!” They both did as theywere told, pulling up pantlegs and in Ali’s case,

shirtsleeves.“Now turn around!”

Theyeachobedientlymadeaslow revolution, whichseemed to calm the mandown some. He opened thedoor fully, and let the twoinside.

The place was large foranundergroundroom,maybefifteen by forty feet, andlighted by scattered lanterns.Various equipment was

scatteredhaphazardlyaround,and there were threeworkbenches, two of whichwere occupied with folkslayingdownonthem.Oneofthepeoplehadapolicejacketcovering his torso and head,his arm splaying out to theside. This man was dead.Anotherman,dressedinbluemaintenance coverallswith aPG&E logo on the sleeve,was breathing raggedly. A

large red bandage coveredmostofhis left forearm.Thebandage was dripping blood,and the man seemed to beunconscious.Sixotherpeoplewere also in the room. Awoman holding two smallboys to her sides, a bigmanalso dressed in PG&Ecoveralls and carrying a fireaxe,afilthymansittingonanevenfilthiermattressdrinkingsomething out of a plastic

gallon milk jug, and a wirywoman with an automaticpistol pointed at thenewcomers.

“Drop it, Robin Hood!”she demanded, waving thepistol.

Ali put the bow on thefloor.

“Nowstrip!”“Screw you,” Ali said

andfoldedherarms.Themanwiththefireaxe

took a step forward. “Wewanttocheckyouforbites.”

“Then Tell Dirty Harrietto point the gun elsewhere.We’re not bitten and we’llshowyou,butIdon’tliketheguninmyface!”

The woman pointed thegun at the floor with noapology. “The cop said hewasn’t bitten too. He turnedand bit Chuck. That’sChuck.” She nodded at the

guy on the table with thebandage.

Billy stripped off hisshirt dropped his pants.“OK?”

“Yeah,nowyou.”Ali lifted her shirt, and

dropped her pants as well.“Shall I do a pirouette?” sheaskedsarcastically.

The woman relaxed hergrip on the gun as thenewcomers straightened their

clothing. Approaching Ali,shesaid,“MynameisAbbey,can we start over?” Sheextendedherhand.Alitookitandnoddedintheaffirmative.

“We’re all edgy. This isBilly.”

Introductions were madeall around. In addition toAbbey,therewasTonyinthePG&E coveralls, Melaniewith her sons, Caleb andNoah, and Martin, the

apparent homeless man. Thegroupclusteredaroundthefarendoftheroom,somesittingagainst the walls, someleaning on the unoccupiedbench.

Ali noted that there wasnootherwayoutoftheroomexcept the door they hadcome through.Thiswasbothcomforting and scary. Anattack could only come fromone direction, but that was

also their way out. The doorseemed secure enough,madeofheavysteelonhugehingeswitharatchetlock.“Howdidyouallgetdownhere?”

Tony began his story:“Me and Chuckie wasworkingdownherewithTim,anotherPG&Eguy,whenthecity went crazy. We had noidea.We came up for lunch,andabunchofthemnut-jobswasrunningaroundup there.

Aguy in a suit and tie cametoward me, and he wascovered in blood. When hegotclose, Icouldseehewashurt. He was moanin’ andstumblin’, and I tried to helphim. He grabbed me, and Icould tell he wanted to killme right there. We got tofightin’ and the cop,” heindicatedthecoveredformonone of the benches, “showedup. He was leading Melanie

and the boys away from agroup of the crazy people,shooting into a crowd ofthem. He smacked the guywho was grapplin’ with meon thehead, and theguy felldown on his face. Morepeople was comin’ from allover,sowegotthekidsdownintothemanhole.

We was yellin’ for Timtogetdownhere,andthenthecopjumpeddown.Iheardhis

leg snap, but we helped himup.Timmust’vedragged themanhole cover to close theopening, because it closed. Iclimbed the ladder, but thosecovers weigh two hundredfiftypounds.Icouldn’tbudgeit. I heard screamin’ upabove,Ihopeitwasn’tTim.”Tony’s eyes glazed over inthought.

Abbey shook her head.“Itwasso fast.Oneminute I

wasorderingacoffee,andthenext, this bloody guy burstinto the coffee shop,screaming that they werecoming. Me and a couple ofothers in the shop steppedoutside,andtherewereabouttwentyof thosepeople there,all covered in blood. Theycame staggering toward us,and one of the guys rantoward the people. He wasyelling at me to call 911

when one of the bloodypeople grabbed him and bithis face. He startedscreaming, but the otherpeople all gathered aroundand started biting him. I ranlikehell.Isawacopcarwithits blue lights on, and ran togetthemtohelpmebuttherewasnobodythere.”

She swallowed hard andcontinued, “I got in the carandtriedtousethecopradio.

Suddenly there were bloodypeople everywhere. I had noplace to go. There were nokeysinthecar,soIgotouttomake a run for it, but therewere toomany of them. Thecop must have been on aconstruction detail, becausethere was a manhole with abig yellow hose coming outof it a few feet from the copcar. I climbed down theladder and ran as fast as I

could in the dark. I almosthad a heart attack whenMartinshinedhisflashlightinmyface.Hebroughtmehere,and we met everybody elseontheway.”

“And what about you?”Billy asked the guy on themattress.

“Me?Ilivehere.”“Oh.”“Wait,” Ali asked,

“Abbey, why didn’t the

infectedfollowyoudownthemanhole?”

“They did! I only barelygotaway.”

“Butthenwherearethey,why aren’t there any in thesewertunnels?”

“What are you talkingabout?Youmeanyouhaven’tseen any? The tunnels arecrawlingwiththem!”

Ali and Billy began toexchange a confused look,

but were interrupted by asudden scream from one ofthelittleboys.

EveryonespuntolookatCaleb,feargrippinghissmallfeatures,histinyindexfingerpointed at something behindthem. As one, the groupturned.

Chuckhadgottenoff thebench,hiseyesbloodred.Hegaveasnarlinghiss, lurchingtoward them with his first

stepsasoneoftheundead.

21A pin drop would have

sounded like a thunder clapon theRock.Then thephonerangasecondtime,andRicktore it from Sam’s grasp,

fumbling with the devicebefore being able to answerit.

“Hello, who is this?Brenda! My God, are yousafe? Yes, we’re in a safeplace for now, Sam is fine,and I got my dad too!Wait,what?”

The entire group washanging on Rick’s everyword. There hadn’t been anycell service since the

nightmare started, and thiswaslikemagic.

“Hang on, there are abunchofmilitarypeopleherewho will want to hear this,I’llputyouonspeaker.”

“Rick…Rickareyoustillthere?”

“Yeah!Goahead,wecanallhearyou!”

“Listen,Imightnothavealotoftime,we’veiso—”

“How do you have a

working phone?” Martingaleshouted.

“Dammit, don’tinterrupt! The phones arefine,it’sallthenetworksthatare down! I’ve got a techherewhowasabletore-routethe data stream. Rick, yousaid there aremilitary there,whoarethey?”

McInerney stepped up.“Commander KevinMcInerney of the USS

Florida, a ballistic missilesubmarine. My full crewminusfourteen,andateamofSEALs.”

“Excellent. What’s yourclearance levelcommander?”

“SCI”“Have you heard of

STUXNET?”“Of course, it’s a

computer worm that targetsindustrial systems.A nuclear

reactor in Iran was targetedlast year, and it almost shutcompletely down. Therewere...”

“No time Commander,this phone could cut out anysecond. We’ve isolated thesourceof theplague.Weareworking on a preventativemeasure, but we’re runningout of resources. The deadare constantlyoutmaneuvering our outer

defenses through sheernumbers alone. We’re safehere, but we can’t leave forsupplies, we’ve lost ninepeople trying.There’smaybetwo months left of rations,and we need lab equipmentandprovisions.”

“Whatdoyouneed?”“We need you to come

get us, and set us up in amore secure location, thecoordinates of which I will

give you when you get here.Thelocationwehaveinmindis extremely secure, and hasall the facilities we need,power, equipment, years ofrations,andsomeweapons.”

“And you think you cancurethisdisease?”

“No. Anyone who isinfectedalreadyisasgoodasdead.Weareclosetocomingupwith something topreventinfection from taking hold. A

vaccine. That means anyonebitten or scratchedwon’t getinfected.”

“What about the fewbillion hungry walkingcorpses throughout theworld”

“Quite frankly,Commander, they are yourproblem.We’vebeen focusedon trying to stop it fromhappening instead ofdestroying infected. Can you

comeforus?”“Whereareyou?”“Boston.”“Boston! That’s literally

acrossthecountry!”“I’m pretty comfortable

withgeography,Commander,canyoucomeornot?”

“How did you come upwith a cure in less than twoweeks? I would think itwouldtakeyearsto…”

“We had prior

knowledge of the…contagion.”

“But honey, how did—”Rickstarted.

“Don’tcallmehoney!”Rick sighed, “How does

a computer person like yougetinvolvedinacureforthisthing? You aren’t a medicaldoctor, you work for MIT!Yourdoctorate is insoftwareengineering.”

“Like I said, we had

priorknowledgeofit.”“Whatisit,isitavirus?”

demandedMcInerney.“Yes. No conventional

medication will work on thisparticular virus though, asevidenced by the totalworldwide collapse.Will youcomeforusornot?”

“BeforeIcommittothat,Iwant toknowhowyoucanstop this virus when you’renotamedicaldoctor,andthe

CDC and USAMRIID,people who do this for aliving,cameupempty.”

“Unfortunately, anepidemiologist’s backgroundwould be completely uselessfor this plague, Commander.My background, however,wasperfect.”

“But you just said it’s avirus!”

“I did. It’s a computervirus.”

22Billy, still a littlewoozy

from his fall, pulled an iceaxefromhisbeltandhurleditatChuck.The axe hitChuckright between the eyes and

bounced away clattering. Ahuge gash opened over hisnose, the white of his nasalbone standing out in starkclarity on the ashen color ofhis face. He staggeredslightly, then raised his armsandcametowardthemagain.“I got this,” Abbey said andtookaimwiththepistol.

“No, don’t shoot him!”shouted Tony. “We’re in ametal room for Christ’s

sake!” He stepped forwardand brought his axe up,waiting. Chuck was comingquickly,and theroomwasn’thuge.A twang! sounded andsuddenlyChuckhadanarrowstickingoutofhislefteye.Hedidn’t jerk or twitch, he justcollapsed backward. The tipof the arrow protruded a fullinchoutthebackofhisskull,forcing his head to twisttoward them as he hit the

floor. Tony started forward,butAligrabbedhisshirt.

“Wait!Lookathiseye!”Tony looked down, and

Chuck was indeed watchingthem. His single, bloody eyewastrackingmovements.Theeyewas full ofblackmalice,andpervertedneed.

“Jesus, how can he notbedead?”

“Well, he is,” saidBilly,“he’sjustnotdead.”

Tony walked widearound the prone form, andChuck tracked him as he didso. The dead man’s armmoved weakly toward Tony,butTonywasoutofreach.

“Sorrybuddy.”Tony brought the axe

downhard,twicekillingpoorChuck.

One of the young boyswaswhimperingasTonyputtheaxedownandgrabbedthe

hands of the dead man. Hedragged the dead weight tothe table opposite thedeceased police officer andlaid his friend down. Hefolded Chuck’s hands on hischest almost lovingly beforeyanking Ali’s arrow out andwiping it on an oily rag thatwas under the work bench.Tony handed her the arrowandsatonthefloor.Hegavea quiet sob, composing

himselfquickly.“Hewasmypal.”

Billylookedunperturbed.“Sowhoknowshowtogettothe water from here? Tony,youworkinthesetunnels,doyou know how to get to thebay?Itshouldn’tbetoofar.”

Wiping his eyes, Tonycomposed himself further,“Yeah. Yeah it ain’t far,” hesniffed, “but we gotta gothrough a collection station

and we’ll come out north ofBeachStreet,nearPier39.”

Ali raised her eyebrows,“Come out? You mean wecan’t take the sewers all thewaytothebay?”

“Nah, they don’t go alltheway. Imean theydo,buttheoldoutfallwasblockedupwhen they put the treatmentplant in. Now all the watergetstreatedbeforeitgoesoutinto the bay. The treatment

pipes the treated effluent amile and a half out into theocean, the only thing thatgoes into the bay now is abunchof small pipes thatwecan’t fit through.We’ll haveto come up in the treatmentplant, or the street behind it.BeachStreet.”

“Wait, why do we wantto go to the water anyway?”Abbeyasked.

“He’s got a boat,” Ali

thumbed at Billy, “and thereare people and supplies onAlcatraz.”

“I’m in!” Abbeydeclared.“TodayisSaturday,would the plant be open?Would there be a ton ofpeoplethere?”

“Could be. I dunno.Wewasworking on some powercablesaboutahalfmileawaywhen… when all thishappened.”

Billy and Ali exchangedglances. “The plant couldwork,” she told him, “itwouldbe secure,and if therewas nobody there, then therewouldn’t be any dead tryingtogetin.”

“Unlesstherewasapoopseminartodayorsomething.Imean, these guys wereworking.” He thumbed atTony.

“Well, we can’t stay

here.We’llneedto…”“I’m staying here,” said

Martin, who had beenforgotten behind them, “I’vebeen here for two years, andthere’s no reason for me toleavenow.”

Tony started to saysomething,butMelaniestoodandspoketoMartin.

“Martin,withoutyou,wewould have been walkingdown here in the dark for

ages, probably bumping intothose people left and right.You must come with us oryou’lldiedownhere.”

Martin shook his head.“Ma’am, do you really thinkanybody is going to livethrough this? If this is anepidemic, which it seems tobe, then do the math. If oneinfected person spreads toone more, then those twospread to twomore, and this

happens only once in anhour, in amere twenty fourhours there are almostseventeen million infected.This of course assumes onlyone person infects one other,andthatitonlyhappensonceinanhour.Theprobabilityis,that with the population thewayitis,clusteredtogetherinlarge confined areas likecities, that the entirepopulation minus say, two

percent, is infected in lessthantwentyfourhours.”

Billy looked at Martinwith one eyebrow raised.“You don’t look like amathematician.”

“Yeah,well, I was. LostmyjobatSFUduetobudgetcuts. Couldn’t get anotherjob, and I don’t have anyfamily. After three years ofno income, Iwounduphere.Thatwas two years ago, and

you know what? This is abetter life. Or it was untileverythingwenttohell.”

“Ithoughtyouwere…”“Yeah, so does

everybody else. Books andcoversandallthat.”

Billy sat next to Martinon the mattress and held outhis hand. Martin passed himthe dirty milk jug, and hetookabigpullonit.Hecameaway sputtering and

coughing. He wiped hismouth and handed the jugbacktomartin.

“It’s water!” chokedBilly,“Ithought…”

Martin stopped himagain. “So does everybodyelse.”

“Mr.Martin,”saidatinyvoice, “please comewith us.Please?”

Everyone looked atCaleb.

“Please?”Theboybegantosniffle.

Martinsighed,“Fine,butwegomyway.Icangetustotheplant,butitwon’tbefun.Shouldn’t see any of theinfectedthough.”

Tony smiled, “Martin, Ibelieve I got a pretty goodhandle on these tunnels, Ibeen comin’ down here foryears.”

“Yeah, and I’ve been

living down here for years.You’re going to take themthroughthecollectioncistern,pastthemaceratorsright?”

“That’stheonlyway.”“I rest my case. Firstly,

the tunnels down there arefull of chesthighwater.Yougot maybe ten inches ofclearance between the waterandtheceilingtoo,anditcanfill up quick. What’s yourplan for the kids? Second, I

can get us past all of thewater,andthecistern,andthemacerators, and the infectedthataremostassuredlyinthatsection.That’s three hundredfeet past where I picked youup, and another hundred feetpastthat,thetunnelsareopento the street for work on thenew buildings in mid-town.That’s how I get my scrapsnow.OrhowIdidIguess.”

Tony looked skeptical,

“How can you go around allofthat,therearen’tanyothertunnelsthatgothatway?”

“Not on any surveymaptherearen’t,butthey’rethere.Like I said, it won’t bepleasant, but it will be safer,althoughthereisonespotthatwe’ll have to wade, and onegrateweneedtogetthrough,butitisn’tlocked.”

“Wade?”askedMelanie“Yes, it’s after the

macerators, and before theplant,sowe’dhavetogetwetgoing his way or mine, butwe’ll go over the cistern andmostofthewater.”

“Over?”“Yeah,over.You’llsee.”“OK, so when do we

leave?”Abbeydemanded.Billystoodup.“Oh,now?”“Mightaswell.Nopoint

puttingitoff.

“Wait,”insistedMelanie,“what’samacerator?”

Tony and Martin startedto answer her together, butTonyheldhishandout,palmup, for Martin to continuealone.

“They’re big metalblades that chew soft matterinto smaller bits that areeasier to carry in the sewerpipesandtunnels.”

“And…andwe’regoing

to climb over them, but myboys…”

“Ido it all the time, andmywaywillbesaferthanthecatwalk, which is just abovethem. Besides, there’s a biggrateovertheunits,sonoonecan fall in by accident.There’s a deadman’s switchas well, so if the grate isopen,theteethshutdown.”

“So let’s do it then,”Abbeysaid,“Iwanttogetout

ofthesedamntunnels.”“Let me just check the

door.” Tony hefted his axeforcomfort.

“No need Tony.”Martinstoodandpassedhismilkjugto Billy, who immediatelytookaswig.

Martin walked to a rowof faded blue metal lockers.He pulled them asiderevealing a multitude ofmissing bricks forming a

rather large hole in the wall.There was a second, muchsmaller room excavatedbehind the lockers. “This isour way out,” he said,indicating a jagged, thirty-inch pipe leading out of theroom.The pipewas black asa devil’s heart, and stanktwiceasbad.

“Nope. Not goin’ downthat,”Tonysaidimmediately.

“Sissy,” Billy told him

and fell to his hands andknees. “Ali, gimme theflashlight,please.”

She passed the light tohim and he crawled in aboutsix feet, the beam from hisflashlightcuttingthedarknessaheadofhimallowinghimtoseehowtrulyhorridthewallsoftheconduitwere.

“Uh, shouldn’t I gofirst?” asked Martin. “Thereare a couple of spots where

youwillneedtoknowwhichwaytogo.”

Billy backed out of thetunnel quickly. He wascovered in slime and filth,and the smell was horrid.“You can’t turn around inthere!”

“Itopensupfurtheron.”There was obvious fear

inTony’svoice.“Idon’tcare,Ican’tdoit.I’mtoobig.”

Abbey got down on one

knee. Leaning against thewall,shepeeredintothepipe.“Me neither, sport. You saidthere’sadifferentway?”

“Yeah,wecango—”Ali interrupted, “We

don’twanttosplitup,there’ssafetyinnumbers.”

Tonynowsoundedgruff.“Yeah, well, there ain’t nosafetyinthatpipefornoneofus if I have a friggin heartattackinthere.Iain’tgoin’.”

“Listen,Martin said thatwewouldenduponthesamepath later. Tony and I willmeet you after the tunnelsjoin. Besides, I have a gun,”Abbeychimed,smirking.

“Meet us a hundredpaces after the macerators,then,” Martin said and stuckhishandout.“Bestofluck.”

Tony shook his hand.“Same to you. Thanks forbringing us here before,

Martin.Yousavedusall.”“Next time I’ll have the

chinapolished.”Martinsmiledandpicked

up an ancient, rusty, battery-operated lantern. He glancedover at the group over andsaid:“Followme.”

Onebyone,thesevenofthem got down and enteredthe pipe, with Noah clingingto his mother’s heels. Aliwent last, but before she left

shelookedbackatAbbeyandTony.“Yousure?”

“We’ll be fine. Sorry Ipointed the gun at you. Seeyouattherendezvouspoint?”

“You sound like a spy,”Alisaidanddisappeared intothepipe.

Tony pushed the lockersback in frontof theentrance.Unlessoneknewitwasthere,it would be extremelydifficulttofind.

Abbey stepped up to theheavysteeldoor.“Nopointinwasting time.” She put herear to the door and listenedintently for a solid thirtyseconds. Tony looked at herandnoddedintheaffirmative.She shrugged and ratchetedthe latch back. Tony burstintothetunnel,axeheldhigh.

There was nothingmovingineitherdirection.

23Therewaspandemonium

on Alcatraz. Immediatelyupon hearing what Brendahad to say about the plague,shouts, accusations, anddemands erupted from the

congregation. Martingalesimply would not be quiet,and he had gained somefollowers.He and twoothershad to be forcibly removedfrom the room, with bellowsof dissent and demands formoreinformationhurledbackovertheirshoulders.

Unfortunately, Sam’sphone died during the chaos.Itwasn’ta lossofsignal,buta dead battery from Sam

usingtheitemasatoyforthepastfewdays.

A rescue was in order.Brenda and her crew neededextraction post-haste, as ameansofstopping thespreadof infection was within theirgrasp. After the Commanderhad Martingale and hisstooges escorted away, hequickly spoke toMeara, Pitt,and Rick, then McInerneyhimself exited with an

elementofthreeSEALs.Meara and Barnes

attempted to quiet the folksgathered in the cafeteria, andeventuallythenoisesubsided.The policemen answeredquestions as best they could,but the bottom line was thattheyknewlittlemorethanthepeopleaskingthequestions.

Twotensehoursafterhishasty departure, McInerneyreturned with poor tidings.

There was still no contactwith the President and JointChiefs at Barro Colorado orthe carrier group steamingeast from Asia. CINCPAC,the Pacific Naval command,was also not answering thephone. In fact, no militaryinstallation he had tried tocontact was responding. Asfar as he knew, CommanderKevin McInerney was theranking military officer on

the western seaboard of theUnited States. One thing theCommander did fess up wasthattheinformationcontainedin Brenda’s hard drives wasofparamountimportance,andhadbeen labeledpriorityonebyMcInerney.

Insofar as the rescue,certain details of theoperation had to be ironedout, such as who was to go,what supplies they would

need, and most importantly,how to get there. Traversingthe breadth of an entirecontinent infested withcannibalisticfiendswasinnoway conducive to long life.TherewasnomajorinterstatethatcrossedtheUnitedStatesthat at some point didn’t runthrough at least three majorcities, and cities werehotspots for infection. Oncetheteamhadgottenacrossthe

nationtocarryouttherescue,theywouldthenhavetomakean equally grueling anddangerousreturnjourney

Takingthesubmarineforthe rescue was brought up.The sub would be offshore,and immune to the infectedwhileatsea,but itwasa tripof longer than twelvethousand miles, and wouldtakethegreaterpartoftwentydays at full steam. The

Panama Canal would mostcertainly be overrun, andnobodyknewhow tooperatethe locks. The tripcalculations didn’t take intoaccount any problems theywould encounter. The subwas immune to all but theworst of weather, pirates, ordesperate civilians,but rogueelementsofanyone’smilitarywith a sub of their own, orperhaps a destroyer, could

pose problems. No port ofharbor was safe, and if thesub suffered a reactor, orother kind of mechanicalissue that couldn’t beresolved using the on-boardmachine shop, or worse, anuncontrolled outbreak onboard,thecrewcouldactuallybe further away fromBostonthan they were now. Theoperation would need tomoveoverland.

Meara, McInerney, Pitt,and Barnes held council inMeara’s command center.Some others were there atinvitation, but most of theAlcatraz group hadmeandered off to do theirdailytasks,orweepforlovedoneslost.

It was decided that theFlorida would remain andguard the last bastion ofsafetyinthearea.Inaddition,

should the Rock becomeoverrun, the submarinecouldbe used as a fallback pointuntil the island was cleared,or they could search foranother island. Logisticswould be handled byMcInerney’s crew, andsuppliesforthecross-countrymissionwouldbeobtainedonthe way. Communicationswould be difficult, as therewas no one currently

manning the ground trackingstations for thecommunication satellites.Mil-sats were still usable forgroundforces,butMcInerneyhadn’t been able to contactanyone.Nooneknewhowtowork the magic that hadallowed Brenda to call Sam.Once the ground crew left,they would need to usepredetermined contact timesanddaystoget in touchwith

the Florida. The rest of thetime the team would be ontheirownuntiltheirreturn.

After much deliberation,itwasdecidedthattheSEALteamwould act as the rescueteam,butoncetheygotthere,thewholebandwouldhavetoimprovise.Therewas just noway of knowing what theywereupagainst.RickBarnesinsisted on going, and bothMeara and McInerney

thoughtitwasagoodideaforhim to go, as he had first-hand knowledge of thefacility they would beentering. He had been theredozensoftimeswhenhewasapolicemaninBostonandhisex-wife had been working atthefacility.

AssoonastheOKcamedown from the commanders,Dallas, Anna Hargis, andChris Rawding demanded to

accompanyBarnestoBoston.“Out of the question,”

McInerneydeclared.“Commander,” Dallas

began,“youcan letusgo,orwe’ll swim after the boats. Iain’t lettin’ Rick do thisalone.”

“He won’t be alone, sir.He’llhavea teamof thebesttactically-trained operatorsthe United States has everseen,andquitefrankly,you’ll

getintheway.”“Icanhandlemyself,and

I seen what Anna n’ Chriscan do too.Wewon’t be notrouble, and unless you’regonnastickusinacell,we’regoin’. If ya do stick us in acell, thesecondyaletusout,we’re gonna go after them.Or ya could just shoot usnow.Sir.”

McInerney looked atBarnes who had let a smile

creep across his face atDallas’ words. Rick noticedtheCommander’s glance andimmediatelydroppedhisgazetohisshoes.

Meara shook his head atthe whole spectacle, and leftthe roomwithPitt to discusslocalmatters.

McInerney took a longlook at those remaining andsighed.“CallmeKevin.”

“What?”askedDallas.

“CallmeKevin.Mymencall me Sir. My wife…” hedriftedoff.

“Where’syourwife?”“Havre, Minnesota. Just

north of the Bearpawmountains.” McInerney satdown heavily on a rustychair.

“Is that where ya callhome?”

“Itwas.That’swherewegrew up. She’s my high

schoolsweetheart.Wehaveaplace in Monteray, but shewas home in Havre for awedding. I was on duty andcouldn’tmakeitwithher.”

“Where are you allfrom?” the Commanderasked.

“Noshocker forme, I’mfromTexas.”

“Grew up in Frisco,”Rick began, “metmywife…ex… at a party of all things,

then moved to Boston for abit.WehadSam, then thingsfellapartbetweenus.Brendawas…difficult,andIlostmyjobbecauseofbudgetcuts,soImovedbackhere.”

ChrisandAnnaspokeatthe same time; Chris wasfrom Oakland, and AnnafromtheBayarea.

“Amazing howpleasantriescangetlostwhenfaced with the end of the

world.”“I agree, Kevin, but

what’rewegonnado?”“I have to stay with my

boat. The SEALs will escortyou to Boston, where youwill guide them towhere thescientists are and then youwill assist them while theyrelocate to their alternatelaboratory. Hopefully theycan hold out until you getthere.”

“If we get there,” Chrissaidunderhisbreath.

Annapunchedhimintheshoulder.“We’llmakeit.”

“How can you be sosure?”

“Because if we don’t,then we can’t possibly win.Without this cure, orsuppressionthingorwhateverit is, we don’t stand achance.”Alleyeswereonhernow. “This is the ultimate

war of attrition, and we’regettingourbuttskicked.Ifwecan stop the spread ofinfection, then we can pullourassesoutofthefire.Iforone am sick and tired of thedeadnotstayingdead.”

McInerney shook hishead,“Whichiswhyyouwillneed to leavewithin thenextdayor two.Youwillhave tosupplyyourselvesontheway.I will send this element of

Hammer Platoon with you,but that’s only six men. Iknow six men seems like aprettysmallarmy,butbelievemewhenItellyou,ifyougetin a situation where theSEALs can’t help you, anentire infantry companywouldn’t make a difference.Theseboysarethatgood.”

Rick broke in. “So isMartinez,andItrusthimwithmy life. I want Martinez to

comewithus.”“I understand. Captain

Meara, myself, andLieutenant Commander Pittwill remain behind and getAlcatraz going. I have someengineers that could fortifythis place, andmake it fairlyimpregnable. There’s aMarine weapons depot inAlameda, which is rightacross thebay.Wewill havea team check it out.

Hopefully it hasn’t beenlooted.”

“I’msensin’a lottahopein most o’ these plans there,Kevin.”

“Agreed, Dallas, but atthispoint,hope isoneof thefewthingswehaveleft,don’tyouthink?”

“Yessir,itsureis.We’vealsogot-”

McInerney’sradioblaredto life: “Sir we have two

DMLs from the mainland!Targets are Alcatraz and theFlorida! Repeat, DML! Wearesubmergingnow!”

“EVERYBODYDOWN!” screamed theCommander, who instantlydropped to the ground,pulling Anna and Chris withhim as he went. The rest ofthe room hit the floor inconfusion, Dallas putting hishands over his head.

McInerney fumbled for hiscom unit. “Secure and diveASAP! I want a reciprocaltrajectory algorithm in thirtyseconds. Return fire with anSM39! Don’t keep mewaiting,Jensen!Weneed—”

Alcatraz shook with agiantexplosion.Dustandbitsofmoldyplasterraineddownon the folks in the commandcenter. It was suddenly veryhot, and there was a

tremendous ringing sound.Flames licked the glasslesswindowsoftheformerModelIndustries building, eventhoughthereweren’ta logofcombustible items to burn.Part of the floor and wallgavewaybehindRick,andhescrambled like a crab so asnot to fall into the newly-created chasm. Chris stoodand leapt forward, grabbingRick’s hands just asmore of

the floor gave way. Rick’sfeetweredanglingtwostoriesabove broken slabs ofconcrete and wicked-lookingtwisted rebar. Chris pulledand Rick crawled forward tosafety,breathingheavily.

The same disembodiedvoice that had issued theinitial warning, blurtedsomething unintelligiblethroughtheradio.

McInerney was on his

back rolling, holding hishead.Heblinkedafewtimesand looked for his walkie-talkie. “Say again,” hecoughed.

“No further solutions,Commander!”

“Keep monitoring, andfire when your solution isprepared!”

“Ayesir!”Dallasspokeupfromthe

floor, his hands still over his

ears, “What in the hell is agoddamnDML?”

“A detected missilelaunch.Whoeverdoesn’t likeushasgotsometoys.”

Screams drifted into thecommand center from theisland.

24Fifty meters or so into

the slimy pipe, little Noahstarted to panic. His mothertried to console him to noavail, and finally Billy pipedup.

“Hey!Who’scrying?”“Not me!” Caleb yelled

upforward.Billy shined the light

back behind him. “So it’sNoah? Hey Noah, did youeverwatchBugsBunny?”

The crying stoppedinstantly, but Noah saidnothing. Caleb crawledforward a little more.“Mommy wouldn’t let uswatch Bugs, she said it was

toovilet.”“Itwaspurple?”“No, vilet, like people

gethurtandstuff.”“Oh,violent!”“Yeah, s’what I said,

vilet.”Billy chuckled. “Well,

anyway, Bugs was alwaystunneling someplace, but heneverendedupwherehewassupposed to go. He alwaysmissed the left at

Albuquerque. I’m pretendingthat I’m Bugs, tunnelingthrough the earth. We won’tmissthatleftthough,becauseNoah is going to be ourguide!We’llmakeittowherewe’regoing.”

“Whataboutme?”askedCaleb, his blond hair filthyand matted with whateverwasinthepipe.

“You’re…”“Shhh!” whispered

Martinfromupfront.“We’recomingtoabreakinthepipe.Be very careful, andsomebodyhelpthekids.It’safifteen foot fall if anybodyslips through, but it’s easilyavoided if you pay attention.This is one of two placeswherethepipewe’reinspansawidegap.”

Martin crawled forwardand looked through the hole,arustedoutpieceof thepipe

perhaps a yard long. It waspassable, as the hole wasn’tlargeenough forevenoneofthe kids to fall through.Martinwantedeveryonetobesafe regardless hence thewarning. Light streamedbelow from an unknownsource illuminating the twolegsofsomeonesittingdown.Another shadowy formstumbled past the lightsource, followed by another.

The forms didn’t seem to begoing anyplace, but justmeanderingaround.

Martin moved past thebreak and kept going, Billyright behind him. BillylookedbackatCaleb,puttinga finger to his lips. Calebnoddedintheaffirmative,andmade the samegesture tohislittle brother behind him.Noah and Melanie made itpastwithout issue,butasAli

tried to negotiate the chasm,herbow,whichshehadslungonherback,gotstuckononeofthepipe’srustyedges.Shecouldn’t call for help or shewould alert the creaturesbelow her, and while theycouldn’t reach, she didn’twant to let the things knowthat therewasasmorgasbordin a tube above them. Shetried to back out of the bow,but was stuck fast. After a

mighty heave, the bowpoppedoffoverherheadanditmadeaclatteringnoiseasitskittered forward.Ali lookeddown into the faces of theundead, who now lookedbackwithunrepentanthungerand need. They reached forher, but she was far abovethem. She continued movingdown the pipe, pushing thebow in front of her, butcouldn’t help thinking that

Tony and Abbey would runinto this small group ofinfected as they made theirwaytothemeetingpoint.

She was still thinkingabout themwhentherewasaterrible sound of rendingmetalandthepipebehindhercollapsed with a resoundingcrash. Snapping soundsfollowed, and suddenly shewas sliding backwards. Theduct was slick, and she

pressed her back, hands, andknees as hard as she couldintothecylinderwallstostemherdescent.Shestoppedafteronly a few feet, but wasn’table to feel any appreciationfor stopping. The pipe hadfallen down at such an anglethat she could barely makeout the bottomof the brokenpipethroughthedimlight.

Ali looked back up, andmuck from the intact line

above dropped into her face,momentarily blinding her.Disgusted, Ali wiped herforearm across her eyes andspit out the crap that hadfallen into her mouth.Looking back, she was ableto discern movement at thebase of the cracked cylindershewasstuckin.

One at a time, anindeterminatenumberofdeadgained access to the pipe, a

meretwentyorsofeetbehindher,andtheystartedcrawlingforward,mewling.

“They’re in the pipe,”sheshoutedupward.“They’reright behindme, hurry!” Shescrambled forward, grabbingthe bow as she did, her feetkicking on the slime andgettinglittlepurchase.

The group of survivorsmoved faster. “Fast” was arelative term anyway, in a

slimy two and a half footdiametersewerpipe,buttheysped up some.Themoans ofthe pursuing dead echoed allaround them, seeming tocomefromalldirections.

Melanie cried from themiddleofthepack,“Yousaidthat they wouldn’t get inhere!”

“Yeah, well, best laidplans!Move!”

It was challenging

inching along in a veryconfinedspace,andterrifyingknowing that there werezombies in the narrow tubebehindthem.Eventually,theycametoanaccessgrateinthepipewhichlookeddownonalarge room. This must havebeenthemaceratorpit,astheroomwaslighted,andasteelmesh framework covered thefloor.Thespacelookedcleanand neat as compared with

the other rooms and tunnelsthey had seen. No undeadseemed to be in the areabelowthem,buttherewasnomistaking the cries of theones in the pipe behind thegunk-coveredparty.

Billy ran into Martin’sshoes.“Uh,youneedtohurryupthere,chief.”

Martinsaidnothing.“Knock-knock Martin,

wehavecompanybehindus.”

Billyheardseveralmeatythumps in front of him, andMartingruntedheavily.

“Martin?Martin!”Martin replied with

somethingunintelligible.“What? Speak up and

hurry,they’regettingcloser.“Thepipeiscrushed.”From behind: “What’s

happening, why aren’t wemoving!”

Billy’s words

reverberated aroundeveryone, “Everybody shutup for a sec! Martin what’sgoing on, we have to go,now!”

“The pipe is bent closedin front of me. I can’t moveit. Something’s crushed itfrom above and pinched itclosed.”

“Pass this back to Ali!”Billy yelled, giving theflashlight to Caleb, who

passed it back further. “Ali,howclosearethey?”

Melanie began to cry asshepassedthelightback.

Aligottheflashlightandshined it back the way theyhadcome.Asmalldipin thepipethirtyfeetbackobscuredanything further from view.“Ican’tseethem!”

“Flip on your back andkickthatgrate,wehavetogetout!”

She did as shewas told,feeling the cold goo on herback, but the cylinder theywere in was too skinny forher to raise her leg highenoughtogetanygoodkicksin. She started kickingfuriously, but the latticewouldn’tbudge.

Panic set in for Melaniefirst, “Jesus, we’re going todieinhere,mykids,mykids!Godno!Notlikethis!Not-”

“Mel, shut up!” Billyyelled. “You’re scaring thekids!Ali,kick!”

A cacophony of soundsassaultedAli.Yelling,crying,and pleading from in front,and the everpresentnoiseofthe dead from behind. Herkicks rang against the grateechoing throughout the area,andshestartedtogetmad.

“RRRaaarr!” she yelledas she kept struggling. She

shinedthelightbackandsawa pasty hand come up overthe dip in the pipe. Shekicked even harder, butrealized it was useless. Thebow was too long to turn inthe confined space, so shewas unable to shoot thecreature whose head andshoulderswere now in view.The thing saw her anddoubled its efforts, some ofits cohorts right behind.

“They’re almost on us!” sheyelled.

As the creatures inchedtheir way forward, Ali cametotherealizationthatshewasabout to die, and a calmsereneness came over her.Smashing both feet down atonce, she thought that itwouldhavebeennicetostartover on Alcatraz with Billyand this Sam girl he kepttalkingabout.

“Get the kids past me!”Billy shouted. “Hurry!”Billyturned on his back andshimmied a little backtowards the way they came.He passed Caleb and Noahoverhischest towardMartin,and as he did so, he lookedintoCaleb’seyesthroughthegloom illuminated byMartin’s lantern ahead ofthem.“Theywillnevertouchyou,kiddo.”

“Ok,” was the small,terrifiedreply.

“Mel, can you get byme?” Melanie was weepinganddidn’trespond.Billyusedhis toe tonudgeher roughly.“Melanie!Snapoutofit!”Hegaveherafull-onsmackwithhis foot, but not enough tohurt her. She lookedsurprised,butstartedtoclimboverhim.Herformerlywhiteshortscaughtonhischin,and

muck and goo fell in hismouth.Hespititoutandtriedto inch backwards while shewent forwards. Theymade itandBillykeptinchingtowardAli.

Ali stopped kicking,raised the flashlight andscreamed. The lead zombiewas three feet away andreaching for her feet. Itinched further, and Ali triedtobackup,butnowBillywas

intheway.Thethingreachedforward and grabbed hershoe, and she kickedfuriously, but the creaturekept coming. She repeatedlykicked it in the face andshoulders, only it hadsucceeded in getting bothhands on her leg and wasn’tgivingup.Thedeadmanwasheavy-helookedlikeadeadfootball player - and Alisimply couldn’t pull away.

Billy was yanking on her,trying to pull her back, butwith nowhere to go. Billypassed her something longand thin, and she grabbed it.Itwasoneofherarrows.Shespunitsothebroadheadwasfacing the enemy and jabbeditintothething’seye,butnotfar enough. The dead mankept pulling at her, trying tobite her legs. She gaveanother desperate kick and

sent the graphite projectilehome, the zombie droppingits head to the floor of thepipe instantly. The onesbehind piled up against thedeadone,unabletoproceed.

Pap!Pap-pap!Gunshots, close.

Definitelyinthesewers.Alikeptkickingthegrate

for all she was worth, but itwouldn’tbudge.Theinfectedbehind the first bigonewere

tugging at him and trying tomove forward at the sametime, fortunately not makinganyprogress.

Suddenly, Tony andAbbey rushed into viewbelowthem.Abbeyraisedherpistol and fired once backthroughtheopeningtheyhadcomefrom.

“Tony! Tony up here,we’restuck!”

Tony looked around the

room,confused.“Uphere!”shescreamed.

“They’re in the pipe with usandwecan’tgetout!”

Tony and Abbey bothlookedup and saw the grate.Ali stuck her fingers downthrough it, and Tonyunderstood. He grabbed analuminum step ladder whichwashangingonthewall,andgot as close to the pipe aspossible.

“How’dyougetstuck?”“Don’t ask stupid

questions, just get us out!They’reontopofus!”

Pap!“Trust me, it isn’t any

better down here,” hemutteredashesteppedbackarungontheladder.

Tony swung his axe andthe pipe made a heavyclangingnoise.

Abbey turned to look at

him,“Hurry!There’sabunchcoming!”

Thegratebentupwardonhis third swing, and it brokeonthefourth,swingingdownonahinge.

“It’s open, c’mon!” Aliyelledtohercompatriots.

Pap-pap-pap!Tony backed farther

down the ladder and helpedAli as she came out of theconfined space. Billy was

next, and he gave the re-killedoffensivetacklezombiea few good kicks for addedmeasure. A filthy handmissing the ring and pinkyfingers had reached aboutchest level of the horizontaldeadman, andwas doing itsbest to grab Billy. Melaniecame next, followed by thekids. They allmoved towardthe exit across themaceratorgrille.

When Martin tried tomakehisescape, thecreaturebehindtheonewiththearrowin its eye had moved upenoughtograbMartin’shair.He pulled himself away, butlost a few locks in theprocess.Tony,whowasnowas covered in pipe-scum asthecrawlerswere,helpedhimdown. The twice-deadzombie had moved forwardconsiderably, pushed by his

dead brethren. His head andshoulders hung down out ofthegrate.

“Tony, we have to go!”Abbeyshouted,andrantothegroup.

Deadpeoplefloodedintothe macerator room afterAbbey: at least a dozenshamblingfigures,coveredinblood, some missing limbs.Caleb screamed and pointedatthem.SomecameatTony,

but themajoritywent for thelargergroupofsurvivorswhohad moved some distanceaway.

Pap-click…“Shit!” Abbey yelled,

fumbling with a secondmagazine.

Twang!An arrow was suddenly

sticking out of the skinlessforehead of the closestundead, who collapsed

lifeless. Ali fired a secondarrow, but missed her targetand got the chest of thecreature behind. “Come on!We need to move!” Shenocked another arrow andfiredagain.

Abby drew the slide onthe pistol after she hadslammed a second magazinehome. She aimed carefullyand fired into the oncominghorde.

Tony kicked the ladderoutoftheway,andwasaboutto run down the corridorwhen the dead man and theundead young woman thathadgrabbedMartin fell fromabove. It was a glancingblow, but it still knockedTony down. He struggledawayfromthebodiesandgotup quickly. The youngwoman had grabbed his pantleg, so he brought his axe

down on her wrist, nearlysevering her hand. Hedispatched one zombie withhis axe, and avoided twoothers as he caught up toAbbey. Together theyfollowedtherestofthegroupof survivors through theconnecting tunnelandmovedon.

The living humans weremuch faster than the deadones,but thedead justdidn’t

give up. Billy and Martinwere up front, followed byMelanieandthekids,Ali,andAbbey, with Tony bringingup the rear as they movedquickly down the tunnel.They lost sight of thepursuing dead as they speddown the old sewer, shoesslapping on the bricks. Theystopped for a moment tocatch their breath when thetunnelopenedupintoamuch

wider passageway. This partof the system was partiallysubmerged.

“We have to go throughthere?”demandedAli.

Martin lookedatherandspoke inagruff tone,“Yeah,it’s only about sixty feet orso, and it never gets morethanchestdeeponme.Billy,pick up Caleb, and Melaniewill have to take Noah. It’sover their heads in the

middle.Wewouldhavecomeout right there,” he indicateda pipe entrance about threefeet higher than the waterlevel, “if the pipe wasn’tcrushed. Let’s go, I can hearthemcoming.”

Martin was indeedcorrect. Moans could beheard behind the group eventhough the undead couldn’tyet be seen through thegloom.

“Come here, pal,” Billygrabbed Caleb and followedMartin into the water. “It’swarm!”

“That’s all the poop npee!” Caleb shouted andmadeaface.“Ew!”

“Actually it’s because itheatsupwhenthe…AHH!”Martin disappeared beneaththe tepid water. He wasstrugglingand splashing, andwhen he resurfaced, he

wasn’t alone.Adeadwomanhad come from under thewater and latched on to hisclothes.Shewastryingtobitehim in the face. Billy had toback away to keep Calebfrom thenewattacker. “Helphim quick!” Ali and Abbeycouldn’t fire their weaponsfor fear of hittingMartin, soTonystrodeforwardandusedthebuttendoftheaxehandleto thump the creature on the

temple. Unfazed, the thingseemedtoredoubleitseffortsto chew on Martin’s nose.Tony grabbed the zombie’sleft arm and pulled it awaywhile Martin pushed. Abbeywaded to the struggling trio,put thebarrelof thepistol tothe creature’s head and firedpoint blank. The deafeningshot took the side of thething’s head off, and itreleased its grip on Martin

andslidbeneaththewater.The entire episode had

takenlessthanthirtyseconds,butitwasenoughtimeforthesmall pursuing horde toalmostcatchup.

Ali shined the flashlightto the rear and announced,“They’re right behind us!There’salot!”

The group had startedforwardwhenCaleb, lookingbehind them over Billy’s

shoulder, pointed and said,“They won’t come in thewater,look!”

The boy was right. Thecreatures had stopped wherethe water started.Unfortunately,theonesintheback continued crowdingforward, pushing the ones inthe front into the water withsmall splashes. The firstcreature stood and stared atthe cluster of humans.

Already wet, the thing musthave decided it wasn’t goingto be a problem to moveforward, and it did just that.Three steps in it fell forwardand disappeared. Its friendsstill would not progress ontheir own, but they keptgetting pushed by the onesbehind them. There weremanymorethanthedozenorso that had come into themaceratorroom.

“Where are they allcoming from?” Melanieasked.“There’ssomany!”

“Enough!Let’sgobeforewegetbittenon the ankles!”Aliyelled.

“But there could be tenof them in front of us underthewater!”

“Yeah there could be,”countered Ali, “but there’sdefinitely a bunch behind us!Weneedtomove!”

Martin started forwardagain, and the small groupwaded after him. Noah wasquietly crying, as was hismother. The ceiling of thetunnelwas only about a footabove the surface of thelukewarmwater,andMelaniewhowasonlyaboutfivefootsix, was struggling to keepNoah’sfacedry.

Eventually,Billy noticedthatthewaterwasonlyatthe

middleofMartin’sback, andthe group was progressingsteadily upward. Totallysilent,thesurvivorsexitedthewater after only a fewminutes. The tunnel rampedslightlyhigherinthissection,andinmomentstheycametoa ladder extending up. “Thisis the treatment plant,” Tonytold them from the rear. Thegroupwalkeda littlepast theladder to allow Tony access.

The cover wasn’t a heavystreet-type manhole cover,but a small hinged piece ofsteel.Usingakey,Tonytriedtoopenthelock.“It’sstuck!”

Abbey walked back towhere they had exited thewater, keeping watch behindthem. Billy had put Calebdown, and was watching theforward tunnel. Tony lookedback down the ladder andcalled,“Gimmesomelightup

here!”AlishinedthelightupasAbbeystartedyelling.

Abbeywasstaringat thewaterwhen she began to seeit stirring a few feet away.She squinted at what shethought was a turtleswimming toward her. Sherealized she was seeing thetopof ahairless skull,whichwas attached to one ofmanyzombies coming at herthrough the flooded tunnel.

Each step revealed more ofthe thing as it came towardher.

She raisedherpistol andaimedatthefirstthingtostepforward,itseyesbreakingthesurface of the water andfocusing directly on her.“They’re coming! Hurry!”Theyellseemedtoencouragethe creature, and it actuallysped up a little, raising itsarms in a classic zombie

attackposture.Whenitsheadcleared the black water, itopened its mouth and liquidpouredoutasittriedtomoan.

Pap!Abbey fired into the

crowd,hittingthefirst target,snapping the creature’s headback.Itfellbackwardintoitsfriends. Abbey backed up,firing.

BillysetCalebdownandpulledouthisiceaxes.

Aligrabbedhisshoulder“Billy,no…”

“Had enough, Ali.Besides, I gotta upmy tally!I’ve only got forty eight sofar. I bet there’s somebodyout there with fifty, and wecan’t have that! Everybodybehindme.”

Abbey squeezed by him,and climbed the ladderbehind Tony. She held up apen light to help him to see

better.“Hurry.” Billy said,

unperturbedby theproximityofsomanyhungryundead.

Melanie started yellingforTonytohurry,andMartinlooked scared for the firsttime. “Shoulda stayed in mydamnhouse.Itwasmadeoutof steel for Christ’s sake.”Theboysbothbegantocry.

Billy walked to theoncoming horde and readied

his weapons. The creaturespushed their re-killed brotherout of the way and skulkedtoward Billy eagerly. Thefirstone,a teenagedboyinaGolden State Warriors tanktop brought his one arm andthe bare, broken humerus ofthe other up and cameforward. Billy strode up tohim and the creature stoppedin its tracks, being pushedand shoved by the ones

behind it. The thing lookedconfused as Billy said“Really?REALLY?After allof this I’ve lost my appealagain?” He swung the axeand it stuck in the zombie’shead. The deadWarriors fantook another step and fellforward, taking the axe withit.ThecrowdwasfocusedonBilly,somestillnotoutofthewater, and attempting topush.Melanie screamed, and

in a comical parody ofmotion, the creatures leanedtotheleftorrighttolookpastBilly. The mass of deadthings immediately surgedforward and Billy startedhacking with all his might.Theywerenotattackinghim,justtryingtogetbyhim.

“Why!”heyelled, “Whynot!” as he used the hammerend of the axe to crush theeye socket of a firefighter

with red eyes. “FIFTY!” Hehackedandbashedthecrowdas they tried to press on byhim, but he fought like acaged tiger and slowed theirprogressconsiderably.

“I got it!” Tony yelleddowntheladder,“Comeon!”He pushed the cover up andclimbedtherestoftheladder,entering the room above. Hetookaquicklookaround,andstuck his hand down to

Abbey.“Getthekidsup!”heyelled,pullingAbbeyupwithhim.

Martin grabbed Melanieby the shoulderandspunhertofacehim.“Go,I’llpassthekids to you!” Melanieclimbed up a few rungs, andMartinandAligrabbedNoahand passed him to her. Shepassed Noah to Abbey andTony, and they repeated thesamethingwithCaleb.

“Get…Going…!” Billycalled from in front of them,obviously short of breath.“Fifty-three, fifty-four!”Billy’s back was almost toAliasAliclimbed the ladderupward. As Martin tried toclimb, clammy hands shotpast Billy and grabbedMartin’sclothes.Billyfoughtharder, as did Martin, andthey won, asMartin shot upthe ladder. He held his hand

back toward the tunnel,“Billy, come on! Give meyourhand!”

“Just go! I’ll be fine!Close the lid if they climbup!”Billywaspushedfurtherdown the tunnel, and out ofsight by the throng ofzombies. The ones in frontreached for Martin, but theytoowere pushed by the onesbehind. Martin shook hishead and finished the climb.

The things didn’t seem toknow how to follow andreached up at him longinglyashesatatoptheaccessholelookingdownonthem.

“Mr. Martin, where’sBilly?” asked a wide-eyedCaleb.

“He’sgone.”“He was a hero right

there…”Tonysaidandstood.“We have to figure out ifwe’re alone or not. Abbey,

you stay here with Martin,Mel, and the kids. Ali youcomewithme.”

“ButBilly…”“He’s gone. There’s no

comin’ back from that, yousaw how many there was.”Tony gave one look back atthe reaching sea of dead,hawked a giant loogie, andspit down into the crowdbefore shutting the hingedcover and locking it with a

twistofaThandle.

25Captain McInerney had

ordereddoubledeckwatchassoon as the Florida hadsurfacedandrevealeditselftoAlcatraz. Passive radarsweepswerealsoorderedforeachquarterhour, and itwas

one of these sweeps that hadshown two blips headingfrom the mainland at speedtoward the survivors newbastion.

Shortly after the missilehad struck Alcatraz, whilethose in the command centerwerestillgettingtotheirfeet,one of the submarine’smissiletubesflewopenandahugewhiteprojectilestreakedtoward the mainland in

retaliation.Itwasloud.Rick scrambled up and

ranforthestairs.DallashelpedMcInerney

tohisfeet,wincinga littleashis ears still rung from thedeafening roar that hadshaken the building. “Whatthe hell is that?” he askedlooking up. Most of thebuilding was still intact, sothose in the command centercouldn’t see the missile

contrail. Dallas continued toviewtheceilinginconfusion.

“A Tomahawk, firedfrommyboat.”

“Awhat?”“Abigdamnmissile.”“Who’sshootingatus?”“Don’tknowyet,might

have been land based, but ifJensen’s reverse trajectory isaccurate, anything withinfifty feet of that missileimpactisalreadyvapor.”The

commander sparked up hisradio: “Jensen, report. GivemeaSITREPonmyboat.

“Sub’s fine sir! Theymighthavethetoys,but theydon’t have the talent. Lookslike it might have been aTOW,anditimpactedonthewater behind us. Piss-poorassaultheadingonthemissileoperator’spartsir.”

“Areyouunder?”“Yes sir, but just.

Billings says there’s notenough depth here to godeeper than thirty feet under.We’reaboveperiscopedepth,butsubmerged.”

“Excellent. Where didthatMLoriginate?”

“Land based, less thantwothousandmetersaway.”

“Tell me you hit themback,Jensen!”

“Roger that sir, impactconfirmed. Do you want to

sendateam?”“Negative, sit tight and

keep monitoring. McInerneyout.” The commanderlowered his radio and turnedtofacethoseintheroomwithhim. “Ok, is anybody hurt?Where’sMeara?

There were minor cutsand bruises, but no brokenbonesinthecommandcenter.

“We’re gonna need anew building,” Dallas

supposed out loud— “thisone’sallbustedup.Let’sputoutthemfires.”

RickfoundSamwiththeother kids. He grabbed herandgaveherahugebearhug,checkingherforinjuriesashedid so. She was fine, but asmall boy was crying inJuanita’s lapasshelookedathisarm.Theboy,Jimmy,hadbeen playing on a table andhad fallen off when the

missile impact shook theground.

The rest of the childrenswarmed around Rick, alldemandingtoknowwhathadhappened.

Rick let go of Sam andlookedatthekids.“We’renotsure, but don’t worry, it willbe ok.We’re safe here. YouguysstaywithJuanita,I’llgetsome bandaids, and a doctortolookatJimmy.Comewith

me,Sam.”“Okdaddy.”Rick left the room, Sam

in tow. They found MearaandPittcomingupaflightofstairs.

“How are we looking,Mike?”

Pitt spoke up, “Nocasualties as of yet. They hitthe ground between twobuildings, you got splashdamage, but the structure is

old and couldn’t take theimpact from the blast wave.We probably shouldn’t usethat part of the IndustriesBuildinguntilwecanfixit.Idon’t want anybody fallingthrough theweakened floor.”

NoonehadbeenkilledinthemissileattackonAlcatraz.There were several injuries,the worst being Jimmy’sbroken arm. The corpsman

from the submarine hadarrivedandwascheckinghimand the other injured out.Several people were settingup a rudimentary infirmaryon the first floor of theindustries building at thecorpsman’srequest.

Rick found Martinezguarding Martingale and hiscronies, whose complaintswere now interspersed withdemands for information

since the missiles flew.Martinezwasgrateful for theinterruption, and the excuseto move down the hall towhere the protests weresomewhatmuffled.

“SoIcancomewithyouthen,Rick?”

“I wouldn’t have it anyotherway,buddy.Itoldthemyou were an integral part ofthe mission, and that I trustyou.”

“Soyoulied?Twice?”Ricklaughed,“Yeah,the

trustthing.Probablybedrunkbefore we get off the island,damnbum.”

“Daddy!Language!”“Sorry kid, that was

grown-up talk. You’re rightthough,Ineedtotakeiteasy.Pabs,IneedtotalktoSammyforaminute,ok?”

“Sure.”Martinezpointedat Sam with mock menace,

“don’t you beat up my palnow!”

“Oh, he’s mine!” Shethreatened, and giggled.Martinez slung his rifle overhisshoulderandwavedashewalked toward a group ofpeople surveying damagedonetotheirrefuge.

“Sam, I have to…”Ricktrailed off, not sure how toexplain,butSamcame tohisrescue.

“Iknow.You’releaving,and I can’t comewith you. Idon’t like it.” She folder herarms, looking very serious,and extremely mature. Shelooks like her mother, Rickthought.Ohshit…

“I’msorry,but Ihave togo get your mom. She hassomething that might help,and we need to make sureshe’s safe. Grandpa, Juanita,and Mike will still be here,

and if there’s trouble, well,Mikewilltakecareofit.”

“How come the soldierscan’tgogether?Whydoyouneedtogo?”

“I know the location. Iknow where she is and howto get to her. I could tell thesoldiers, but I might have tothinkquickifthereareissueswhen we get there. Therecould be thousands of—”Rickstoppedtalkingabruptly

andlookedathischild.“I know, Daddy. Dead

people. Theremight be a lotoftheminBoston.”

“IcertainlyneverthoughtI would hear somebody saythat.”

“Yeah,who knew huh?”She looked at her shoes andstartedcrying.

A lump in his throat,Rick tried to console hisdaughter.“Honey,I’vegotto

go. There’s no other way. Iknow exactly where she is,whatbuildingshe’sin,whichfloor,evenwhichrooms.Thesoldiers could go and neverfind her through all the…the…”

“Thezombies.”“Yeah,thezombies.”“But what if you don’t

comeback.”“Iwill.”“But…”

Hegotdownononekneeand gently grasped her chin,forcing thekid to look inhiseyes,“Iwill.”

She stopped crying andsmiled.“Iknow.”

Alcatraz was hustle and

bustle while everyone, eventhe kids, helped clean up.Even Martingale pitched inandhelpedclearsomerubble,with a minimal amount of

harping. Dallas had foundRick, and Rick assured himthat thekidswereok.Meara,Pitt, andMcInerney had justsighted theduowhengunfireerupted from theeastern sideof the island. All five menstarted running, and bothMeara and McInerneyshouted into their radios,demanding to know whofired.

As they, and a

considerablecrowdofothers,arrived at the eastern dock,they could see SWATmember Wizneski sitting onthe dock his back to theshore, two corpses sprawledacross theplanks.Oneof thedead was charred beyondrecognition, so much so thatit was impossible to tell if ithadbeenmaleorfemale.Theclothing, skin, and hair weretotally burned away. The

other dead man was missinghis left arm from the elbowandhadscorchmarksaswell.Both had holes in theirforeheads compliments ofWizneski.Rickstoppedattheedge of the dock and lookedatthebackofthemanhehadknownforsomeyears.

“Wiz! Wiz whathappened? Where didthey…”Rickceasedspeakingwhen he noticed drops of

brightredbloodonthedock.“Theyjustwalkedoutof

the water.” Wizneski statedcalmly.“Ididn’tseeNubby,”heindicatedthemanwithonearm, “until he was on me. Iheard someone on the dockbehind me and I turned, buthejustgrabbedme.Jesus,hesmelled like clamchowder. Iwrestled with him for a sec,and had to drop my MP5before Iwas able to pullmy

sidearm and shoot him.Crispywasprettysneakytoo,and had gotten close while IwasfightingNubby.”

“You ok? Damn, thatmusthavebeenclose.”

“Too close.” Wizneskiheld up his hand. It wasbleeding freely from a bitewound near his thumb. “Yaknow, it’s amazing howquicklyyou try to rationalizehow you aren’t going to die

whenyou’recertainyouare.”“Wiz…”“Forget it. There’s

nothingtosay.Fuckingthingdoesn’tevenhurt.”

RicklookedatMeara.Pittsteppedup,hispistol

drawn, but pointing down,“Wehave to isolateyou. I’msorry.”

Wizneskinodded.“Yeah.Yeahok.Mustabeensomeofthosedicksfromtheboatyou

sunkhuh?”“Probably. Let’s get you

isolated and then we cantalk.”

“Sure. Here.” He passedhispistol,buttfirst,toPitt,“Ilove that damn Glock too.Shit. Do we have anybooze?”

“We’ll find some,”Mearasaid,andheldhishanddowntoWizneski.“Let’sgetyouup.”

Wizneski stood andregarded the crowd that hadgathered at the dock.With aheavysighhebeganwalkingtowardthecafeteriawithtwoSEALsforcompany.

“We’ll get you patchedup in a minute,” one of theSEALstoldhimontheway.

“Save the bandages forsomebody who’ll live.” TheSEALsexchangedaglanceastheyescortedWizneskiupthe

hill.“Alright everyone, let’s

get moving,” Wiz heard Pitttellthegroup.“Nobodyaloneanymore, anywhere, at anytime.At least twopeopleperpost starting now. All areaswhere…”

Wizneski couldn’t hearPitt over his own poundingheartashegot furtherup thehill.

Cyrus had been

successfully avoiding theundeadforalongwhilewhenhearrivedat thepierseastofSanFranciscoproper.Hewasexitingasmallbakery,withahamsandwichandabottleofwaterwhenheheardasound

like a jet plane whooshingover his head. He duckedinstinctively at the intensityof the noise, throwing hishands over his head, (butmaintainingafirmgriponthesandwich). A few secondslater another object zoomedover, leaving a smokycontrailbehindit.Thesourceof the parallel white lines inthe sky was the roof of ashippingcompanywarehouse

immediately behind thebakery. The destination forwhatever had been fired waslost over the larger buildingsobscuringthehorizon.

Across the street up onthe roof of a dilapidatedfactory,amanwithhishandson a pair of binoculars wasstaring out into the bay.Cyrussmiled.

Spinning on his heels,Cyrus crossed the road,

entered the factory, andexplored. There werenumerous dead peoplelitteringthefloor,allcoveredin blood. Some sportedvicious wounds, but all hadserious head trauma.“Dispatched undead,” hemuttered to himself. Lockingthe door behind him, hefollowedthesoundofvoices.The voices came down thestairs and had four people

attachedtothem.Cyrus sidestepped

between a large stack ofpallets and a forklift, thepeople coming straight forhim.

“Didn’t expect that, didthey Pee Wee?” Some moresteps; boots on a concretefloor. Cyrus smiled,recognizing the lead voiceimmediately. “Pee Wee myfriend, you talk too much.”

Cyrus heard chucklinglaughter and saw a friendlypunch to the arm from anunassuming man to a giantspecimenofahumanbeingasthey walked past Cyrus’hiding place, briefly crossinghis field of vision. “I waswondering, Masta G, if youwouldn’tliketo—”

Cyrussteppedoutbehindthem,“Malik.”

All fourmenspunat the

sound of the newcomer,weaponsraised.Cyrussmiledwider at the look ofextraordinary shock on thefacesof threeof them.Cyrusstepped forward “HelloDavid, hello Leon. I seeyou’ve been keeping safe.Congratulations.”

DocMurdawasstunned.“How…how did… I meanwhere…?”

“Come boy, spit it out,

whatareyoutryingtosay?”“Who the fuck is this

dude, Doc?” the fourth manasked.

“Please don’t curse, hedoesn’t like that,” Murdaanswered. “He doesn’t likethatatall.”

“How have you been,Malik?”

“It’sDocMurdanow.”“Is it? Well, I’m sure

that’sfitting,butthequestion

remains.”“I’ve been well sir, and

you?”Murdalookednervous.“Incarcerated. Not so

well, although thestrawberries and cream atMorningsidewasexquisite.”

“Whendidyougetout?”“Yesterday. An old

acquaintanceofminereleasedme.Haveyounothingelsetosay?”

Murda looked

embarrassed.“It’sgoodtoseeyou.”

Cyrus raised his lefteyebrow.

“Goodtoseeme?“Yes, it’s good to see

you…dad.”“Thank you Malik, it’s

good to see you as well.PerhapsyouandIcouldhavea long talk. Iwouldcertainlylike to know where youappropriatedsuch—”

An explosion ofmonumental proportionsthrewfourof thefivementothefloorofthedingyfactory.Bricks and glass showereddown throughout thebuilding. The eastern wallgave way and tumbledoutward into the street,showing that the buildingfour doors down was gone.Not simply destroyed, butgone.Nothingwas left but a

smoking crater and somesmall fires.PeeWeebrusheddirt and rubble off of hisshoulders.

After a few secondsCyrus looked up to see amassive hand reaching downtohelphimtohisfeet.Cyrusaccepted and stood, brushinghimself off. “Thank you,Leon.Weshouldgo.Halfthecitywillbehereinmoments,andapparently,youaren’tthe

only ones with expensivehardware.”PeeWeemade toassist Murda, but Cyrusintervened. “Allow meplease, Leon, I haven’t seenmy son in a while.” Cyruslowered his hand to Murda,and helped him up. Murdawasdazedandbleedingfroma small gash over his righteye. “Hmm, this may needstitches. We’ll get you fixedup when we get someplace

with four intactwalls. Imustsay that firing your weaponswhilstonadifferentroofwasastrokeofgenius.”

“I didn’t want to getkilled by any possibleretaliation, and I had somesoldiers that were…expendable.

Pee Wee helped upMasta G and the other manand the five of them strodefrom the broken building.

“Ahh. San Francisco in thesummer time,” said Cyrus,breathing the salt air deeplyandsquintinginthesunshine.“Absolutelybreathtaking.”

A quick assessment of

the waste processing facilityyielded no undead, and alldoorsweresecure.Therewasaneightfootchainlinkfencesurrounding the smallbuilding aswell, and its gatewas also locked. A small

refrigerator contained somecondiments and a jar ofpickles. The soda machine,however, was found to befullystockedafterTonypriedthedooropenwithhisaxe.

“So where’s this boat?”AbbeyaskedAli.

“Dunno. Billy knewwhereitwas,notme.Hewastaking me to it when wefoundyouguys.”

Abbey’s face showed

some discomfort, and not alittle fear. “You’re kiddingright?”

“No,althoughhedidsayitwasnearthecontainershipsdownby thepiers.Shouldn’tbetoohardtofind.”

“Holy shit. Apparentlyyou’ve never been downthere. I have. I drive a mailtruck, and I go in theresometimes.”

“Yeah,so?”

“So it’s a giant maze ofbig shipping containers thesizeoftrailersyouseeontheback of big rig trucks. Andtherearealotofpeopledownthere, all the time. ForChrist’s sake, we might aswell stay here.” She shookherheadindismay.

“Can’t. No food, andeventually they’ll get in.Wehavetogo.”

“Listen, we will never

find his boat, and the wholetimewe’llhavetododge—”

“No, you listen! I didn’tcome all thisway to give upandbelunch.I’mnotstayinghere,andyou’lldieifyoudo.We have to go. We’ll findanother boat.Billy said therewerepeopleonAlcatraz,andwe need to get there to besafe.Period.”

“Wow. Tough bitchhuh?”

“No. Scared and pissedoff.I’llbetoughwhenIhaveto.”

“Fair enough,” Abbeysaid,“look,I’msorryit’sjustthat…”

“Forget it, it’scool.Thisis a typical ‘I watch yourback you watch mine’scenario, and that’s what weneed…Whatwasthat?

“What?”Thump!

“That! What the hell isthat?Maybewedidn’tsweepthis place as well as weshouldhave.”

Thump-thump!“It’s coming from…

Tony!Tonyquick!”Tony and Martin came

towardwhereAbbeyandAliwerestanding.“Whatisit?”

Ali pointed at the coverinthefloor,“Listen!”

Thump!

“It’sok,theycan’tgetin,it’slocked.”

Ali rolled her eyes.“Dumbass!” She pulled outone of her arrows from thesmall quiver and tapped thebroad head tip on the steelcover. Two seconds later,Shave and a haircut wastapped from the other side.Ali smiled and tapped twicemore:Twobits.

“It’sBilly!Openitup!”

Abbey and Tony lookedat each other. “How do youknow it’s him?” demandedTony.

“Are you fuckingkidding? Open the damngrate, I can hear him yellingdownthere!”

There was indeedsomeone barely discernible,yellingfromtheothersideofthe small steel door. “Ok,Abbey get the gun ready,

Martin, take this.” Tonyhanded Martin the fire axe.“Anythingthatisn’talivegetskilledifitcomesout.”

“That soundedridiculous,”Martin observed,eyebrowsraised.

Tony scowled at him,lifted the T handle, andtwistedit,pulling.

“About time, it stinksdown here,” Billy said as helookedupfromtheholeathis

friends.Ali moved to hug him,

butnoticedhewascoveredingore. “Glad you made it,”Tonysaidandstuckhishandout to help him. As Billyclimbeduptotheflooroftheroom,Tony’s eyesnarrowed.“Actually,howdidyoumakeit?”

“Sometimes they justdon’t like me,” Billyanswered. “I mean it’s not

like I was covered inbarbecue sauce anyway.” HewinkedatAli,whosmiled.

“What does that mean?”insistedMartin.

“The barbecue saucething?Well,ifI—”

“Nodammit!Whydidn’ttheytearyouapart!”

“It means sometimesthey don’t attack him. Orme,”Alireplied.

“Bullshit!”

“No, it’s true, but wedon’tknowwhy,andit’sonlysometimes,” Billy told them.“Othertimestheywanttoeatus likeacoyotewantsaroadrunner.”

Martinshookhishead,“Idon’tunderstand.”

“Welcome to the club,we have cards, and a secrethandshake. Is there a showerin here, andmaybe a changeof clothes?” Billy’s voice

changed to mimic someonefrom the deep South. “I’mgonna get amite gamey in afew.”

“Yeah,” Tony told him,“shower’s in the back overthere,” he indicated a doorbehindBilly,“and there’llbesome of these coveralls intheretoo.”

“Thanks!” Billy movedofftowardthedoor.

TonyspunandfacedAli.

“Well?”She looked bewildered.

“Wellwhat?”“Why didn’t they tear

him to pieces?What the helljusthappened?”

“Did you miss the lastfew minutes? We don’tknow!”

“Well we need to findout!” Martin almost yelled.“Weneedtoknow!Think!”

“I… I really don’t

know,”shestammered,“whyisitsoimportant?”

Martin raised hiseyebrows in shock.“Seriously? Because if wecancopywhateveritisabouthim,” he jerked a thumb inBilly’s direction, “then wecan all be immune to theirsenses! We can walk rightpastthem!”

“It doesn’t work likethat! If you don’t imitate

them, they still come at you,they just walk away after asecond! You can’t talk orlookdifferent!”

“Ali, I don’t give a shit.If they don’t attack then weare infinitely safer. Nowthink,thinkhard.Whatdidhedo prior to each episode ofthemnotattacking?”

“Ionlysawitacoupleoftimes,soIhavenoidea.Iwasin a…hospital, and at first

none of them would comenear me. Then, all of asudden, they thought I wasdinner. I can’t think ofanything I did differentlyfrom oneminute to the next,I’msorry!”

“Ali, we must know!

Whateveritisweshould…”“We should what?

Dissect me? Stick me in aroomwithabunchofthemto

see if theywant to eatme atthatparticulartime?Fuckyouprofessor, I’m not yourgoddamned guinea pig! I’vetoldyouIdon’tknowwhatitis.NeitherdoesBilly.Forallwe know it happens toeverybody!Ormaybe it isn’tus at all, but them!” Shepointed out the window,“How about we throw yououttheretoseeiftheytakeachunkoutayou!Oryou,”she

indicatedTony,“oroneofthekids!”

“Ali,nooneissayingwearegoingtotestanything,wejust…”

“Not yet you’re not, butI’ve been in this situationbefore, and I know whathappens. All shock and aweatsomethingnew, thencomethe tests, then comes theimprisonment because the‘subject’ is too important to

lose.” Ali lowered her chinand pointed at Martin, “Tellone person about this and Iwillkillyou.”Sheturnedandwalked toward the showerroom, leaving Tony andMartin lookingat eachother,stunned.

Sometimelater,BillyandAli walked together towardthe small group assemblednearasilentpumpingsystem.“There’s nobody here, and

the streets outside seemdeserted,” Tony told them.“Wecheckedeverynookandcranny twice inside, andAbbey has only seen one ofthemoutside,butitleftalittlewhileago.”

Ali wouldn’t look atTony or Martin, and movedoff to findAbbeyupstairsonthecatwalks.

“What excellent news!”Billy chirped to the group,

“Canyousee thedocksfromhere?”

“No, but Abbey told usthey’reclose.”

“You don’t have a pizzaor maybe a roast beefsandwich tucked awaysomeplacedoyou?”

Martin smiled andhanded Billy a candy bar.“That’sitI’mafraid.”

Billy’s eyes went wide.“Zagnut! One of my faves!”

He accepted the candy barandwenttositwiththekids.

“Heseemalittleloopytoyou?”TonyaskedMartin.

“A bit. I’m still thinkingabout his immunity to thosethings. I can’twrapmyheadaroundit.”

“They said they didn’tknow,”shruggedTony,“whatelse can we do? Either way,he’sgotaboat,soweneedtoleave eventually. We can

carrytheballifheblocks.”“Agreed. No better time

like the present either. Itseems whenever we stop wehavetogoagain,huh?

“Yeah. These thingsdon’tgiveup.”

“Neither should we.Let’stalktothegroup.”

Martin climbed up themetalstairsandfoundthetwowomen sitting on a catwalk,talking in low voices. He

strode over to them andreceived a venomous starefrom Ali. “We need to getmoving.Billy isgoing to tellus all where his boat is, andwe will make an attempt atreachingitsoon.Ali,I—”

“Forget it,” sheinterrupted, standing up.“You’re right, we shouldmove.”

The threemet the othersin the main control room,

discussingtheirnextmoveinhushedvoices.

Martin took charge.“Billy,canyougetustoyourboat?”

“Sure, if I canget to thedocks. I left it tied to a bigwoodenpilingnearoneofthepiers.Itshouldn’tbetoohardtoseeoncewegetthere.”

“Wait,youjustleftittiedup?Wherearethekeys?”

“Keys?”

“Yes, the keys to theboat,wherearethey?”

“Sorry chief, I’m notgetting you. There’s nokeys.”

Martin closed his eyesandstartedpinchinghisnosewith his thumb andforefinger, “How big is thisboat,Billy?”

“I dunno, maybe fifteenfeet?”

“Let me guess, it has a

pull-startoutboardengine?”“Yeah! What are you

psychic or something?” Hissmile turned into a frown,“You sound like there’s anissue with the boat. Did youwant to hang out here whileeverybody else goes toAlcatraz?”

“No, but the entire non-undead population of SanFrancisco has been trying toescape the city! The damn

boat is probably gone! Youmight have brought us herefornothing!”

“I didn’t say it wasn’t agamble.”

“Jesus, Billy! Wethought you had a powerboat.”

“Duh! OutboardENGINE!Powerboat!”

Tony looked at theceiling of the building, andMartin shook his head. “Oh

man, we should have stayedatmyplace.”

Ali stepped behind theaccess hatch that they hadentered through and pointedat it. “Knock your socks off,Teach.Whenthey’rebangingat your door down there,what’s themaster plan?Bestweight loss idea ever.Gonnalose a few pounds bystarvation or them chewingon you. Either way you’re

over.”“Fairenough.What’sthe

planthen?”“I was thinking

something like this,” Billypiped up. “We, like, leavehere, run to thedocks,get inthe boat, and like, go to theisland.” He raised hiseyebrows, nodding forapproval,andgivingadoublethumbsup.

Abbey smiled, “Good

plan.Let’sgo.”Caleb pulled on his

mother’s shirt. “Mumma, Idon’t wanna go backoutside!”Melanie had a firmgrip on her kids, but it wasobviousthatshehadcheckedoutmomentarily.“Mumma!”

Billy strode to the kidsand theirmom,gettingdownonhishaunchestobeateye-levelwiththekids,“Wecan’tstay here Caleb. Eventually

the bad people will get in,then we’re in big trouble.Therearegoodpeopleonthatisland, even a little girlnamed Sam. Don’t worry, Ipromise you and your momandbrotherwillgetthereok.”

“Sam’saboy’sname.”“It’s also short for

Samantha.”“K.”Billy pulled Melanie’s

hands off the kids, and she

seemed to snap out of herfugue. She looked up at himblinking.“We’releaving,”hesaid. “C’mon.” She stoodwithout saying a word, andpulledtheboystoheragain.

Abbey and Ali raced upthe metal stairs and checkedthe perimeter of the buildingfrom the catwalks one moretime.Itseemedclear.Comingbackdown,theyindicatedso,andmadeforthedoorstothe

facility.“Staylow,movequickly,

and above all, be quiet,”Martintoldthem.“Anynoiseat all and they could swarmusinseconds.”

“Roger,Wilco.Overandout!” Billy said and saluted.“I’ll go first there CaptainKirk, I’m not wearing a redshirt.”

Martin looked at him,confused.“Uh,yeah,kidscan

youwalkordoyouwantoneofustocarryyou?”

“Icanwalkgood,”Calebreplied, but Noah buried hisface in his mother’s hip.Melanie nodded and pickedNoahup.

Martin opened the doorand they filed out one at atime into the hot afternoonair.

Billysquintedinthesun.“It’squiet…tooquiet.”

“Stopit!”Martinhissed.They made their way

quietly to the chain-linkenclosed docks. The hugegate was wide open, and thetiny guard housewas empty.Inside the gates, numeroushuge, muti-colored shippingcontainers were everywhere,some stacked five high,creating an effective visualbarrier for the entire docksystem.Moving quickly past

theguardhouse,thesurvivorslet Billy lead them by aboutforty feet. There was powerhere,as the lightswereon inthe warehouse, but since thedoors were wide open, itcould be full of carnivorousformer-humans. The groupstopped at the nearestcontainer, catching up withBilly, who was waiting forthem.

“This is where I first

learned to drive,” he leanedoverandwhisperedtoMartin,“it was really easy.” Hepointedtoabloodstainedpileof clothes on the asphalt.Movement in the small pilewas barely perceptible, astherewasn’tmuchleft.“Thatusedtobeagangbanger.Hewasn’t very nice.He sang intheend.”

“Billy!Theboat!”“Yeah,it’sthis-a-way.”

“Be very quiet!” AbbeytoldCaleb.

“Yeah, we’re huntingwabbits!”addedBilly.

Thegroupmovedon.Asthey approached aparticularly tall stack of bluecontainers,withMAERSKinboldwhitelettersontheside,theyheardthetell-talesoundsof the dead. Moaning andshuffling sounds were closeby, immediately on the other

side of the stack. “Stay!”Billywhisperedtohisfriends.

Hestuckhisheadaroundthe corner and quicklyduckedback.“Youguyscan’tgothiswayyet.I’llleadthemaway. The boat is at the endof this dock, you have toclimbdownacrappywoodenladder, toasmallerdock,butit’s that way.” He pointeddown the dock for them.“There’s an open blue

container.Whenyouseethat,take a left and in ten stepsyou’ll be at the edge of thebigdock.Youshouldseetheladder, and the boat is justbelow. Give me one minute,andthengo.Oh,andMartin?Stop taking life so seriously,you’ll never get out alive.”Without waiting for anyoneto say anything, he drew hisice axes and casually strodearound the shipping

container, whistling. Themoans and cries gotexponentially louder thesecondthewhistlingbegan.

“My, I’ll bet youmonsters lead interestinglives!” he shouted, and ranforward. The volume of hisravings degraded as he randownthedockawayfromthegroupofsurvivors.

Afteralittletime,Martinlooked around the corner.

“Jesus, half the city is afterhim.” He ushered the grouptofollow,andtheyturnedthecorner,joggingtowardwherethe boat should be. Thesurroundings were tight,barely two meters betweenmetalwallsastheynegotiatedthe maze of shippingcontainers. A feral screamsplit the air, and the hacklesraised on Martin’s neck.“What the hell was that?”

demanded Tony quietly,“Theydon’tscream!”

“It’s a speedy one!” Alitoldthem.“Everybodyhush!”

“Wait, what? A speedywhat?”

“Arunner,azombiethatruns!”

“Whatareyou—”“Shhhh!”They all heard thumping

on the metal containers. Notthe thumpingofmanyhands,

rather a sound like someonewasbumpingintothewallsoftheir maze as they torearound. Something whizzedpast them two containers upand they all froze.Ali raisedher bow, arrow nocked. Aman walked around thecorner where the thing hadjust run and stopped, hishands on his knees andlooking down, heaving. Hewas out of breath. His

clothing was torn, and therewasbloodonhisarm.

Before Ali could stophim, Tony called out to thenewcomerinaharshwhisper,“Hey, are you ok? Come—”The man whipped his headup,staringatthegroup.Evenfrom this distance Ali couldsee the man’s eyes were adeep crimson. The longguttural scream the man letout echoed through the

containers, instilling a newfound terror in the survivorswhohadn’theardthisbefore.Alihadheardit,andshewasscaredshitlesstoo.

She let an arrow fly, butmissed her mark. As shereachedforanotherarrow,thecreature bolted toward thegroup, arms and legspumpinginfullsprint.MartinbackedupandTony issuedaquick “What the fuck!”

beforethethingwasonthem.Tonyraisedhisaxeandthrustit forward like a pole arm,striking the sprinting horrorjust above the stomach. Itstumbled back, holding itschest and looking confused,butonlyforamomentbeforeit letoutanother short shriekand advanced, fingersslashing.Alirealizedthatshewould never get a chance toshoot this thing before it got

inamongst them,but tried toraisethebowanyway.

Pap!Pap!Pap!Ifthething’sscreechwas

loud, then the gunshots fromAbby’s pistol wereearsplitting,especiallyastheyreverberated throughout themetal canyons of shippingcontainers.Abbeyhadhit theman in the chest twice andtherightarmonce.Itdroppedand lay on its back reaching

forthembeforeTonyfinishedit with a whack to thecranium.

Ears ringing, Martinlooked at Abbey. “Bad idea.Now the others know we’rehere.”

“Yeah, like thatscreaming didn’t wake someshitup.Let’sgo!”

They moved forward,Noah crying slightly. “Howdid you know there were

faster ones?” Abbey askedAli.

“I’ve seen a couple. Idon’t think they’re dead likethe slow ones though. Theyseem to drop when they getshot, just like you or Iwould.”

“Do you think that they—”

“They’re in frontofus!”Tony shouted as a smallclusterofundeadappearedin

front of them, rounding thecorner of a junction in theshipping containers. Theundeadsawthesurvivorsandadvanced as fast as theirdecaying legs could propelthem.“Turnaround!Quick!”

The group spun andmoved quickly back thewaythey had come, with AbbeyandAliintheleadnow.“Thisway!” Ali said and took aright. Caleb and Melanie

were also crying as theyfollowed the women, Tonyand Martin now in the rear.They didn’t get far beforethey came across a grislyscene. Six undead weretearing at a prone figure,fighting over the choicestpieces. Abbey’s short intakeofbreathdidn’tgounnoticed,and one of the monstersturned and looked directly atCaleb, who let out a short

yelp of fear. The other fivecreatures looked upimmediately, and all sixdecided that the freshermeatwas better, and stood. Theycame on very quickly in theconfinedspace.

“Back! Back!” Alishouted.

“They’rebehindustoo!”countered Martin lookingarounddesperately, “Up!Wehave to go up!” Using

portionsofthehugecontainerboxes,heclimbedninefeettothe top of one that wasstandingalone. “Giveme thekids, hurry!” Melanie passedNoahup,andMartingrabbedthe little boy’s hands. Calebfollowed, being passed byTonyandAli.

“Go Melanie!” Tonyshouted, theundead less thanacontainer’slengthaway.

Melanie clumsily

climbed, taking quite a longtime, to reach the top. Tonyand Ali realized at the sametime that there was no waytheywereallgoing togetupbefore the pack of deadreachedthem.AbbeymadeittothetopasAliranacrosstotheothersideofthecorridor,climbing a differentcontainer. Tony coveredfifteen feet in two steps, andthrew his axe into the small

crowd of six creatures. Anormal human being wouldhave been seriously injuredbya flyingaxestriking themin the abdomen, but this ex-socialite shrugged it offwitha slight backwards stumble,and the axe clattered awayharmlessly.

Weaponless,Tonybeganto panic. He jumped at thecontainer next to the one therest of his friends were on

and began to climb as well.Unfortunately, the containersectionhechosetoclimbwasstackedtwohigh,andhehadto go up almost twenty feet.Between the two huge metalboxes,therewaslittletograbto assist in his climb and hewasstoppedonlyfivefeetupwith nothing to grasp inreach. The first rancid handgrabbed his pant leg and hescreamed, redoubling his

efforts. An arrow hit thecreaturethathadgrabbedhimin the neck, causing it tostumbleslightly.Thethingletgo of Tony, and he shotupward, finding a hand holdat last. Abbey also fired intothe crowd, actuallydestroying another undeadthat was closing on Tony’sexposedlegs.

“Get up! Get up!”screamed Ali as she fired

another arrow into the massof dead. Tony reached themidway point of the secondbox, and looked down. Thedead could no longer reachhim, but that didn’t deter theseaofdeadfacesfromtrying,looking at him with longingand hunger. More creaturescame from every availableaccess point, filling the sixfoot metal corridor withbodies, all reaching for the

living. Caleb spit on them.Tonyscuttledover the topofthecontainerlikeaspiderandsatforamoment,heaving.

Martin, the boys, andMelanie, climbed up thesecond container, and Tonyreached down his hand tohelp them. Ali was on theother side of the chasm,alone.

“I can see the water!”Abbeypointed, “It’snotfar

atall!”“May as well be on the

moon,”Martingroused,“howcanwegetthere?”

Tonywalked to theedgeofhishighvantagepointandlooked down on the deadreaching for him. He backedup two steps and leapt thedistance, the dead followinghis jump like fansata tennismatch.Hemade itwithease,and jumped back. “That’s

how,”wasallhesaid.“Butthekids…”“I got it. C’mere little

dude.” He picked up Noah,and before Melanie couldprotest, he jumped again,spanning the chasm with noproblems. “Now you justwait, I’ll be back in a jiffy,you ok?” Noah nodded histinyhead.Tony jumpedbackandpickedupCaleb.“You’reaheavyoneson,youready?”

“Whatifwefall?”“Wewon’t,” he assured,

and soared again over theheads of the flesh eaters.Looking back at the rest ofhisfriends,heshouted“ComeondammitIaintgotalldamnday!” One by one, Melanie,Martin, and Abbey jumpedover the gap between doublestackedMAERSKcontainers.

Ali was on a box thatwastoofarfromtheothersto

jumpinthesamedirectionasthe rest of the group. Tonycould see that she wouldnever make the jump. Shewas only thirty feet awayfrom her friends, but therewere countless dead belowthem, and no way across. “Ican’tget toyou,”he toldherflatlyoverthemournfulwailsofthedead.

“I know. I’ll have to gobackthewaywecameuntilI

canmakeittoyourside.“Give yourself plenty of

room,twostepsat least, thenjustjumpover,butmakesureyou don’t go too far oryou’ll…”

“Thanks,I’llbefine.Justgo, and I’ll meet you at theboat.”

“Ok. We won’t leavewithoutyou.”

“Yesyouwill.IfI’mnotthere in an hour, or you get

swarmed,getout.Atleastgetdeepenoughwheretheycan’tgettoyouandwait.IfI’mnottheresoon,I’mnotcoming.”

Tonynoddedandwaved.Ali waved back and walkedto the opposite edge of hermetal refuge. Looking downshe realized that if she fell,she wouldn’t hit the ground,there were too many deadbeneath her, and they wouldgladlycatchher.Sighing,she

began leaping from box tobox back the way they hadcome.Thedeadfollowed.

On the other side of thedocks,thefouradultsandtwochildren also bounded acrosssteel chasms. The dead wereleft behind when theycouldn’t negotiate a turn fastenough, and got lost in themaze. The humans kept uptheir jumping. Tony made ittwenty-two times with the

kids before he landed wrongandtwistedhisknee.Hedrewasharpintakeofbreathatthepain, but didn’t fall. HelookedtoMartin.

“You’re gonna have tojump with the kids now,Martin,I’mbustedup.”

“I can see the boat,”Abbey said, “It’s not morethan a hundred and fifty feetdown this dock. There areonly seven of them between

the ladder and us, and Ihave…” she ejected hermagazine and counted theammoleft,“fourshotstogo.”

Martin walked to theedgeofthecontainer.“Sowego then. I’ll climbdownfirstwith Noah, Mel, you passCaleb to me, then follow.Abbey, you cover, then tossme the gun and climb down.Tony,you…”

“Keeping the gun,

thanks.”“I’llgiveitbacktoyou,I

swear.”“Yeah, I’m saving one

bullet there, chief, so I don’twant it fired if you get mymeaning.”

“I do. Take one bulletout.”

“Deal.” She ejected themagazine and removed oneninemillimetershell,stickingitinherpocket.

“Tony,canyoumakeit?”“Bet your ass… butt I

can.”HelookedatCaleb.“Let’s do this,” Melanie

said.They all reached the

ground without incident, andtrue to his word, Martinpassed the pistol back toAbbey, who immediatelyejected themagazineand fedher last round in. Theywalked quickly and quietly,

remaining unnoticed untilthey were almost at theladder. A dead dock worker,holding a yellow hard hatlooked up and moanedloudly. The rest of the flockof zombies instantly turnedand started stumbling towardthefreshmeat.

AbbeypointedherGlockat thedockworker andput aneat hole under his nose.“Go!”

Martin grabbed Caleb,Melanie grabbed Noah, andthey climbed down, therickety wooden laddercreaking with every step.Dead people appeared indroves at the sound of thegunshot. A small army ofthem was approaching asTony hobbled down theladder. Abbey fired threemore times and the slide onthe Glock stayed back, she

had totally forgotten aboutwhoherlastbulletwasfor.

“Abbey Hurry!”someone yelled, from thelowerdock.Abbeyalsoheardthe boat engine crank overandchugtolife.Shecoveredtheretreatofherfriendsuntilthe first undead, a man inblue hospital scrubs wholooked undamaged, lungedforher.Notbotheringtolookbelow, she ran to the side of

the dock and propelledherself over the boat, pin-wheelingherarmsassheflewthrough the air. She hit thewater fifteen feet belowwitha tremendous splash just asMartin pulled the small boatawayfromthedock.

Nottwosecondslaterthedead doctor appeared andwalked off the edge of thehigher dock. The thingimpacted the lower dock and

snapped its right leg, thefemurjuttingfromthesideofits hospital scrubs. Thecreature reached out towardthe boat with one hand andtriedtopushitselfupwiththeother.

Abbey surfaced quicklyandmadefortheboat.Martinsped to her and together, heand Tony pulled her and afew gallons of seawateraboard. Like lemmings, dead

folks walked off the edge ofthehigherdockandsmashedthemselveson the lowerone.Somegotup,somefellinthewater, but all moaned andstretched their brokenappendages toward the boatas it meandered across thewaves.

Martin pulled the boatthreehundredfeetoutintothebay and cut the engine.“We’ll wait here for a while

toseeifAlishowsup.”“AndBilly!”Calebcried.“AndBilly.”

28Wizneski died three

hoursafterbeingbitten.TwoSEALs, Martinez, thecorpsman from the Florida,andCaptainMearawerewithhim as he passed. The

doomed policeman hadvolunteered to let the doctormonitorhissymptomsastheyprogressed. This was theirfirst realviewingofapersoninthethroesofturning.Itwasawful.

The dying man’s feverhadreachedonehundredandsix degrees Fahrenheit, andthe bite looked as if it hadbeengiventohimaweekagoin thedeepestdarkest jungle.

Clearly infected, the smallwound first reddened, thenturned black and leaked aputridblackfluid,theichorofthe damned. Dressed in abiohazardsuitinsidealockedcell in themedicalwardwithhis patient, Dr. Arvid fromthe sub wrote the symptomsdown as they presented.Blackening around thewound, black veins, chills,vomiting, bleeding from the

eyes,andfinallyfever.WhenWizneskistarted toconvulse,Mearaordered thedoctoroutof the cell, and they lockedthebarreddoorbehindhim.

Helaystillafteraminuteor so of shuddering on theiron bed. Then his blood redeyes opened and he stood.Wizneski rolled out of bedlike he was hung over, andapproached the bars of thecell door. Everybody backed

up as the deadman let out awoeful cry, and reachedthrough the cage. His goodnaturehadbeenreplacedwithiniquity, his crimson eyesholdingnothingbutdepravedneed.

Martinez steppedforward. “Wiz. Wiz, it’s mePabs! You know me man,we’rebestfriends.”

The ex-cop strainedhardertoreachhisbuddy,his

handswavingintheair.Mearaput ahandon the

sniper’sshoulder,“He’sgoneMartinez. That’s somethingusinghisbody,youknowit.”

“I know sir. I just… Ijustwantedtotry.”

“Of course.” Mearastepped a little closer andlowered his voice, “Youshoulddoit.”

Nodding, Martinez drewhis sidearm. “Back up,

everyone.” Pointing theweapon at his friend’s face,the living cop told the deadcop: “No more Bud Heavieson Fridays, buddy,” andsqueezedthetrigger.

Down thehall, a sombergroup lowered their headswhen they heard the shot.Rick,Dallas,Chris,andAnnaleft the roomafter amomentof silence and climbed up tothe new command center in

the lighthouse. McInerneywas waiting for them at thetopwithPittandamanasyetunknown,dressednecktotoeinblackcamouflage.Asailorfrom the sub was walkingaround the exterior catwalk,raisingbinoculars tohiseyeseveryfewseconds.

“Sorry about yourman,”McInerneysaidtoBarnes.

“Thanks. So what’s theplanthen?”

“Lieutenant CommanderPitt?”

“Sir. The four of you,Martinez,andsevenmembersof Detachment Bravo willleave Alcatraz by means oftwoCRRCs, and head here.”He pointed at a spot on themap that was displayed on aricketytableinfrontofthem.Six black and white photoswere on the table as well.“This is a USMarine Corps

vehicle service depot. Scansfrom a WASP UAV showthreeLAV-IIIs,whicharetheperfect vehicle for yourmission.They’reamphibious,bullet resistant, andimpervioustoanyLimasyouwill encounter. Theoperational range is usuallyabout six hundred and fiftykilometersonatankofdiesel,but as these were justserviced, you might get

another ten klicks out ofthem.OneoftheLAVsisona lift, which means it wasprobably being serviced andis non-functional. The othertwoareparked just outside ahanger, indicating repairsweremost likely finished.Atleast we hope they arefinished.

Anna raised her hand.“What’saCRRC?”

Pitt looked at her

strangely, “It’s a combatrubber raiding craft. A smallinflatable boat with a superquietmotor.AfteryousecuretheLAVs, youwill exfiltratethedepot,andheadtoanotherlocation which is need-to-know. We will provide youwith the coordinates of thesecondlocationwhenyouareen-route.”

“Why can’t you let usknow up front, Major?”

Barnesasked.“The LAVs come with

standard armaments. Theprimary weapon system fortheseparticularvehiclesisanM242Bushmasterchaingun.This is a crew-servedweapon, and fires 25millimeter shells. Thesecondary armaments areeithertwinFNMAGmachineguns, one mounted on theroof, and one coaxmounted,

oran81mmmortarassembly.Unfortunately, as thesevehicles were being servicedby civilian mechanics, thearmamentswereremovedandstored at a separate facility.”Pitt looked at the fourcivilians carefully, one at atime. “Should you becaptured by rogue elementsand tortured, we don’t wantyou to know where theweaponsandammoarebeing

stored. Sorry. Are there anyintelligentquestions?”

Martinez walked in onthe last of Pitt’s briefing.“Yeah,whendoweleave?”

“In the morning,”McInerney told them, “Zerofourhundred.”

Dallas looked atMcInerney. “Kevin, what ifwe don’t make it to theguns?”

“We will,” the man in

blacksaid.“Apologies,” blurted

McInerney, “this isLieutenant Boone, he’s incharge of the SEALs. Ithoughtyoushouldmeethim.Iknowyouhavealreadymetmost of his team, but Boonewas…otherwiseoccupiedthepastweek.Hewas acquiringthe scans of the Marinevehicle depot, andperforming…otherduties.”

“Howdy,” Dallas said.Boone gave a curt nod.“Kevin,whatifwefindmoresurvivorsontheway?”

“I fully expect that youwill. Mission priority isrelocating those scientists inBoston. However, any aidyou can provide to survivorsyouencounter,youshould,solong as it doesn’t interferewith your mission. Don’t gogiving all of your ammo or

suppliesaway,butdon’tletafamilygetoverrunifyoucansave them. In addition, youmay absorb any militaryelementsyouencounteralongtheway.Again, as long as itdoesn’t endanger the safetyand security of the operationoryourprimaryobjective.”

Dallassmiled,“Gotit.”“If that’s all, you should

getsomerestandsomefood.It will likely be a long

morning for you tomorrow.Barnes and Boone, if youwould remain behind, Ihave…”

A rap on the light houseglass got everyone’sattention. The crewman withthe binoculars pointed to hiseyesandthenouttothebay.

“On it sir.” Pitt saidwalking out to the catwalk.Hereturnedquickly.“There’sa boat approaching. Looks

likecivvies.”“Let’s meet them then.

Fullalert.”“Sir!”Pittreturnedtothe

catwalk and began speakingintohisradio.

“Well, that’s about it.When you’ve secured thetransports,youwillcontactusvia radio, and we will giveyou a coded message onwhere the weapons depot is.Best of luck.” McInerney

shook hands with Dallas,Anna, and Chris. “I havesomelogisticalinformationtoshare with detective Barnes,butyouthreearefreetogo.

“Thanks Kevin, I’mgonnagitmesomechow.”

“Yes, thank you sir,”Anna told him. The threeciviliansexited the roomandbegan trekking down thespiral staircase of thelighthouse.

“Lieutenant Boone.”McInerney took a step backand folded his hands behindhim.

“Sir. Mr. Barnes, may Ispeakfranklytoyou?”

“Ofcourse.”“Duerespect, I think it’s

inanetohaveciviliansonthismission, you included.Civilians complicate things,andusuallyturnmissionsintogiant cluster-fucks. You

couldeasilyprovide the intelweneedtoexfilthescientistsfrom their lab. This havingbeen said, the Commanderseems towantyouandyoursonthismission.Iwon’tbringmyopinionsonthismatterupagain, but you needed toknow.

“Iappreciatethat.”“Fair enough. Here

comes thebombshell though:No matter what the

Commander says, now or inthe future, I haveoperationalcommand.” Boone looked atMcInerney,whonoddedbackto him. “This is a militarymission, and as such, thecivilian element, youincluded, will abide by anyordersgivenyou,oryouwillbe detained. If anyonebecomes a consistentproblem, they will be leftbehind.Ifanyonewillfullyor

intentionally fucks with themission, or any parametersthereof, I will shoot themmyself.Asof rightnow, I’mholding you personallyresponsible for theactionsofyourpeople. I’mnot aprick,but I won’t be put in asituationwhereacivilianwillget my team killed throughdumbassery.Iwillnot.”

“I think you and I willget along just fine,

Lieutenant,” Rick said andstuck his hand out. Booneshookit;hehadagoodgrip.

Commander McInerneyspokeup.“Ibelievewehavesomefolkstogreet.”

29Ali had nowhere to go.

Jumping across the gapsbetween the giant shippingboxes had brought her to adead end. She lay down onthe hot roof of a red

container, put her handsbehindherhead,andstaredatthecloudlesssky.Themoansand wails of the dead werenerve-wracking, and theywere close, barely five feetaway.Shecouldn’tseethem,andtheycouldn’tseeher,buteach knew the other wasthere, and the dead werepatient.

She couldn’t wrap herhead around why there were

so many here though. Thesewere docks, so there shouldhave been some people herebefore the plague hit, dockworkers, ship personnel, butnot this many. There werehundreds, maybe even athousand or more. If not forthecrampedquartersbetweenthe shipping containers, thesheer mass of the tide ofundead could have tippedover the box she was on,

spilling her into the openmouthsoftheinfected.

Ali could see the end ofthedocksheneededtogoto,but getting there wasimpossible. In her way weregaps of thirty feet or more,and those gaps were filledwith milling cannibals.Making a break for it wastantamounttosuicidewithsomanycreaturesabout.

It was hot on top of the

metal box, and Ali broughther hands to her ears toloosen the grip that the criesof the undead had on heralready limited sanity. ShethoughtofBilly, andhowhehadcontinuallysavedherlife,and about how dangerous hecould be if he was really alevel four schizophrenic.Irony, pure and simple:Repeatedly saved by a manwho was as crazy as a

shithouse rat. She thought ofher father, who was abusinessman in SanFrancisco, and came to seehereveryotherdaywhileshehad been incarcerated atMorningside. He wasundoubtedly dead, as werethefolksshehadworkedwithat the chemistry lab whereshe used to work. Thethoughtsofherfather,andofhow alone she was now, got

her to sobbing, and sheburstintotears.

She cried quietly. Withher ears covered, and thenoise of her own weeping,she was unable to hear thebeeping sound thatapproached her. She stoppedcrying and opened her eyeswhen she finally felt therumble of machinery.Looking up, she saw agigantic blue crane arm

swinging toward her. It tookseveral tries for the cranehooks to get in the properposition, but after someminutes of bemusedobservationonAli’spart, thehooks were lowered untiltheytouchedthecenterofthecontainershewason.

Ali stared at the cablelaced chains as if they weretotally alien to her. Shefollowed the chains to the

cranearm,and thearm toanoperator’s box high on thecrane. The windows weretinted, and it was very faraway, so she was unable tosee who was operating thegiantmachine.A tinnyvoicecame over an intercomattached to a big metal ballabove the hooks: “There’s areason they call that aheadache ball you know.Watchyournoggin.”

She smiled, a differenttype of tears spilling forth.Billytotherescueagain.

“You gotta attach thehooks to the ringson the topofthecontainer.Thereshouldbefourofem’.Whenthey’rehooked up, wave your arms,then lay down in themiddle,I’mgonnaliftyouup!”

The chains wereextremelyheavy,butshewasable to pull them to their

destinations, four large pear-shaped rings attached to thetopofthebox.Thehookshadspring loadedsnapson them,so as soon as she hookedthem in, they sprung closed,preventing them fromslipping off. She waved herarms frantically for a secondand then lay down in thecenter of the box as she haddonebefore.Itwasstillhot.

Very slowly, the chains

beganto lift,andtherewasabeeping sound. When thechainsbecametaut,therewasa great creaking noise, andthecontainerbegantolift. Inseconds she felt the boxswing slightly left, and sheknew she was airborne. Thecontainer continued to rise,and she had the feeling shewas very high, but dared notventure to the edge to lookdown. “Cool!” she heard

Billy say over the intercom,“Two of them tried to holdon, but they just let go andfell!Simultaneoussplat!Thatcounts! One hundred andeleven, woo-hoo!” Billy’stinny voice got seriousthrough the intercom, “Alilisten, there’s something Ididn’ttellyouaboutAlcatraz;there’sabunchofcopsthere.Don’t freak! They won’tknow you were from

Morningside unless you tellthem.Myplanwastogetyouto the boat and then on theisland, but Martin and Tonycangetyoutherejustaswell.I can’t come with you, thecops will lock me up. I’msorry. Please tell Sam thatI’m sorry too. I foundsomethinginthesportsguy’shouse, and I swiped it andstuck it in your back pack atthetreatmentplant.Giveitto

Sam.I’llseeyouagainkiddo,bye!”

That was all he saidbefore he swung the giantstoragerepositoryoutpasttheedge of the dock withunpracticed ease. The groupof people in the boat didn’tknow what to make of thishuge red cuboid coming outinto the bay. The boat beganto pull away when Alicrawled to the edge, and

grabbingachain forbalance,began to yell to them. Theywaited as Ali’s refugelowered into the choppywater. She jumped off andswam to the boat as Martinpiloteditclosertoher.Abbeyand Tony pulled her in andshesprawledonthebottomoftheboat,coughing.

“How the hell didja dothat?”Tonydemand.

Spitting out bay water,

Ali grinned at the curiousgroup, “Billy! He used thecranetoliftmeoutofthere!”

“Is Billy ok?” askedCaleb,“whereishe?”

“He’snotcoming.”Calebstartedtocry.“But he told me to tell

you andNoah that hewouldsee you again soon!” Aliunzippedherpackandlookedinside. She lifted her headwithasadsmile.

MartinstartedtheboatasCaleb continued to sniffle.Wordlessly, they travelledtoward Alcatraz and,hopefully,salvation.

As they came closer tothe island, they could seefigures moving about onshore.Themovementof saidfigures was not the jerky orshuffling gait of the undead,but the sure footed, capablestridesoflivinghumans.

Approaching a smalldock,Tony saw that the areawhere they would comeashore began to fill withpeople.Mostweredressed inblack, and all had wickedlooking automatic rifles.Although none of the rifleswereaimedinthedirectionofthe boat, Tony still had afeelingofuneaseashethrewa line to one of the menstandingonthedock.

Oneofthemenspokeuploudly. “Please place yourpacks and weapons at yourfeet in the boat beforestepping ashore, andwhatever youdo, don’t jumpinthewater.We’vehadsomeundead stumble ashore, andtheycouldberightunderyounow for all we know. Pleasepassthechildrenupfirst.”

Two more men reachedhandsdowntograbNoahand

Caleb. Noah wouldn’t let goof his mother and startedscreeching. “It’s ok honey,I’mrightbehindyou,andsee,Calebisalreadyonthedock.”Noahwould have none of it,andMelanie had to be liftedfrom the boat with Noahfirmlyattachedtoherneck.

When the passengerswereallsafelyonthedock,atall man strode forward andextended his hand toMartin,

who took it. “My name isCaptainMichaelMearaoftheSan Francisco PoliceDepartment. Welcome toAlcatraz.”

“Thank you Captain,thankyouverymuch.”

“You’re all welcomehere, but there are protocolsthat must be adhered to. Itwon’t take very long, andthenwe’llgetsomefoodintoyou.”

“Protocols?”askedAli.“Yes.I’mverysorry,but

each of you will need to beinspected for bites andscratchesbyourdoctor.Also,a twenty-four hoursegregation from ourpopulation is mandatory. Ifyou are infected and don’tknow it, this will keep youfrom infecting anyone else.You may all stay togetherwhilequarantined,andyou’re

absolutely not prisoners, butyoumustbeconfined for theallotted time. If you wouldfollowme?”

Before any of his partycould object, Martin repliedto the Captain, “That soundsreasonable sir; thank you forlettinguscomeashore.”

“This way,” Meara toldthem.Thesmallgroupofnewcomerswasflankedbysevenarmed men dressed in OCP

Multi-cam operationalcamouflage as they walkedtoward one of the rattybuildingsonTheRock.

AlisteppeduptoMeara,“Excusemesir,butistherealittle girl namedSamon thisisland?”

Mearastopped,asdidthewhole procession.He lookedatAlistrangely.“Yesthereis,howdidyouknowthat?”

“A friend ofmine asked

metogivehersomething,it’sinmypack.”

“Whatisit?”“Astuffeddog.”Meara looked at one of

the soldiers and noddedcurtly.Thesoldierranbacktothe boat where another twosoldiers were unloading theitemsthathadbeenleftthere.Afewmomentslaterthemanreturned with a cute, albeitwet,stuffedanimal.

“Your friend’s namewouldn’tbeBilly,wouldit?”

“Yeah, do you knowhim?”

“Yes,wedo,”wasallhesaid as he turned and madeforalargewhitebuilding.

30Highatophishugecrane,

Billy watched the smallaluminumboatgetsmallerasitmotoredacrosstheBay.Hewas happy that those goodfolkswereabletomakeitout

ofthecitysafely.Billylovedkids, and to see one of themget torn up by thesewalkingnightmares may have brokenhim. He hoped that theywould make it to Alcatrazwith no problems. Calebwould meet Sam, and Noahmightcomeoutofhisshellifanother child besides hisbrotherwaspresent.

Climbing out of the cabof the giant machine, Billy

lookeddownat the crowdofdeadfacesfarbelowhimandsighed. From this vantagepoint, he could see severalworkvesselstiedtoadockontheothersideoftheterminal.If he could get the keys tothoseboats,hecouldgetalotof people out of SanFrancisco.Billynowrealizedthatsavingthelivingcouldbehiscalling.Hedidprettywellwith the small group of

survivors he escorted fromthesewers,nottomentionhistally was up over a hundrednow!

He began the arduousclimb down the welded steelrungsonthesideofthecrane.It was a good six storiesdown, and at the bottom hewould have to face the deadagain. The only problem thispresented was that it wouldslow him down. Again, the

thingsdidn’tseemtowant toeat him. It was somethingabout the hospital that hadgiven the creatures anappetiteforfreshBilly,buthecouldn’t figure it.Morningside was where oneofthemfirsttriedtochewonhim, but fifteen minutesbefore that, he could walkamong themas ifhewereanolddrinkingbuddy.

When he reached the

base of the crane, he wasgreeted by a few dozenundead who, once again,came at himwith gusto untilthey were a few feet away,then shambledoff.What hadhe done differently at thehospital than now or before?He went over and over it inhis head. A fast one hadattacked him and he hadkilled it. When it was dead,like its friends, it wanted

nothingtodowithhim.Why?He met Ali, and they stilldidn’t want him, but theywantedher.Herememberedaterm he had overheard hismother use when she didn’tknow he was listening:Undesirable.Maybe thatwasthe ticket; he just tasted badandtheyknewit?

Billyshookhisheadandchuckled,which immediatelybrought three zombies to

within feet of him againbeforetheywanderedoff.Hechased them down andgrabbed a dead mechanic inblue overalls. “What is ithuh? Why not?” The thinglooked at him for a secondandtriedtoshuffleaway,butBilly held it fast. It evenbegan pushing him away, sohe slapped it across the face.Infected fluids covered hishand, and hewiped it on the

deadman’soveralls.Billy had lost an ice axe

whenhe had drawn the deadcrowd with him away fromhisfriends,buthestillhadtheother one. He slashed themechanicacrossthebackasitwalked away. If fell forwardfrom the impact, but stoodwithoutdelayandambledoff.

Sighing, Billy walked inthe direction of what hethoughtwasanoffice.Ifthere

werekeystotheboatshehadseen, theywouldbe in there.He had seen the trailer withwindows when he was atopthe crane.Hewalked brisklythrough the container maze.Turning a corner around aMAERSK container, he ranstraight into a zombie, whograbbed him and growled,baringitsfilthy,brokenteeth.Then it cocked its head andlet him go. The thing had a

rubber tube around its rightbicep, and a needle was stillsticking out of its arm. “Justsay no,” Billy told it, “drugswill really kill you, man.”Billy suddenly stood stockstill. Drugs! It was after hetook the clozapine that thethings wanted to tear intohim! Eighteen hours later,theydidn’twanttomunchonhimanymore.Ithadtobethedrugs, but why? Ali hadn’t

taken clozapine, she wantedrisperidone, which wasprobably another anti-psychotic,Billydidn’tknow.

He reached the door tothe trailer, but itwas locked,and the blinds on thewindows had been drawn sohe couldn’t see inside.Picking up a loose landscapebrick,hecockedhisarmbackto pitch it through the doorwindow on the trailer when

he heard a sharp intake ofbreathontheothersideofthedoor.Zombiesdidn’tbreathe.

The dead druggie hadshuffled off, and Billy wasalone in front of the trailer.Hegotveryclosetothedoorandwhispered: “Hey, let mein,I’mnotdead!”Theblindsover thehighwindowon theright parted ever so slightly,andhewavedtothewindow.He heard a quiet snick, and

the door opened slightly. Hecreptupthewoodenstaircaseto the door and, lookingaround first, entered, closingthedoorbehindhim.

Once again he wasstaring down the barrel of aweapon,“Well,ifthisdoesn’tfeel familiar,” he said andraisedhishands.

“Shhh! Who are you?”askedaterrifiedboyofaboutfourteen.

“Billy.Got stuck in herehuh?”

“Yeah,my dad went foroneof theboatsawhileago,andhehasn’tcomebackyet.”

“Can you please pointthe gun at something otherthanmyface?”

“No. I don’t know you.There’s been some bad folksrunningaround.Liveones.”

‘Well, I just need someboatkeys. I’m looking toget

somefolksoutofhere,andtoAlcatraz.”

The kid’s eyes widened.“We’regoingtoAlcatraztoo!Didyouhear thatguyon theradio? That cop?” The gunfalteredabit,andhelowereditsome.

“No, but I know him,”Billy answered, “detectiveMeara. You can’t stay heremuchlonger,they’llfindyou,and tear this place down to

getyou.”“I gotta wait for my

dad.”“How long has he been

gone?”“Idon’tknow,twohours

maybe?”“Listen,we’vegottogo.

Twohours isa long timeoutthere. Your dad would wantyou to be safe. If you comewithme,wecan…”

The boy raised the gun

again,“IsaidI’mwaitingformydad.”

Billy brought his handsupagain,“Ok,ok,thenletmejusttakeasetofkeysandI’llbeonmyway.”

The boy moved to awoodenlockerandopenedit.

“Takewhatyouwant.”“Thanks, don’tmind if I

do.” The keys were on tagswhich all had numbers onthem. Billy grabbed one that

had the number eight andbelow it in smaller numberseight-zero-eight on it. Hemoved to the door, turninghisheadslightlybacktowardthe boy. “Are you sure youwon’tcomewithme?”

“Can’t. My dad will beback.”

Billy sighed, “Alright.”He put his hand on thedoorknoband lookedbackatthekid.“What’syourname?”

“Dave.”“WellDave,ifyoudon’t

comewithme,you’llbetornto pieces before morning. Ican see you’re on the fenceaboutthis,butIpromiseyou,if your father isn’t back bynow, he isn’t coming. Howmanyshotsyougotleft?”

“Sixintheclipandhalfaboxmore.”

Billy tookhishand fromthe doorknob. “Reload now,

fill the magazine, then takethe last bullet back out, thatway it won’t jam.Wheneveryougetachancetoreload,doit until you have no ammoleft, but always leave oneroundoutok?”

“Yeah,thanks.”“I’m gonna reach in my

bag and get you a bottle ofwater,don’tshootme.”

Heput his back pack onthe floor and unzipped it.

Pulling out a bottle ofwater,heputitonthedesk.

“Good luck.” he said,and was out the door in asecond. There were no deadin the immediate area, but asmall group of them wereambling toward him from afewhundredfeetaway.

He walked down thestairs and started toward theboats. The dead before himchanged their pace from

pathetic to focused as theysaw his purposeful strides.They moaned and reachedsame as always, but beforethey could pass him and gotoward Dave’s hiding spot,Billy waded in among themand started playinglumberjackwithhis climbingaxe. The second to last oneturned to look at him almostpleadingly, but he buried sixinches of titanium blade into

its skull, where it promptlybecame lodged. No matterhow he pulled or yanked itwouldn’t come free. Billyconsidered stomping on thething until the skull brokeopen,butthentherewouldbeinfectedfluidalloverhim.Sohe’d be gooey, so what? Helooked at his bloodstainedoveralls and laughed, raisinghis boot. Before he couldstomp, he heard a gunshot

behind him. He turned andsaw Dave sprinting towardhim.

“Wait, wait up!” Daveyelled.

“Wonderful,” Billy saidtohimselfandlookedaround.Sure enough, the boy’s criesand especially the gunshothadbeennoticedby someofthecreaturesabitfurtheroff,whoimmediatelycameinhisdirection.

Daveshoweduphufffingafter fiftyyards.Billy lookedathimquestioningly.

“I changed my mind.Maybemydadneedshelp.”

“Good thing you werequietaboutit,”Billytoldhimandpointedtohisleft.Dave’seyes widened as he saw theapproaching mini-horde.“Comeon.”

They ran down a smalldock with relatively few

infected, skirting the oneswho reached for them. Theyfoundwhattheywerelookingfor quickly, the yellownumber above the gangwayreading simply “8”. Therewas a chain link gate thatwould make getting to thegangway difficult. It was, ofcourse,locked.

“Upandover,kid.”Dave turnedandsawthe

creatures coming. He stuck

the gun in his jeans pocket,and climbed the chain link,dropping easily to the otherside.Billy followed suit, andthey ran down the gangway.Thereweresixsmallboatsindifferent slots on either sideof the dock, and a big blueand white boat at the endmoored sideways. Soon thetwoofthemwerestandinginfront of slip 808. It wasempty.

Billy looked at theyellow tag in his hand thatread 808, then back at theblackwater.

“Huh.”“Where’s the boat?”

demandedDave.“Dunno,chief.AndIwas

doingsowelltoo.”“What?”“Skipit.Canyouhotwire

aboat?”“No!”

“But you can swimright?”

“What? Are youkidding?”

“Let’s check them,maybe somebody left thekeysinoneofthem.

Dave turned and lookedat the gate at the top of thegangway. Dozens of fingerswere poking through thechainlink,andtheentiregatewas shaking with the pulls

and pushes of the smallcrowdthathadgathered.Thegate rattled on its hinges butheldfirm.

Davejumpedonthefirstboaton the left,andBillyonthe right. No luck. Theyrepeated this until they werestanding at the starboardgunwale of the big boat onthe end of the dock. BillyleanedtohisrighttoreadthenameoftheboatRVPlankton

Skimmer. “Wow, dumb.”This boat was much largerthan the other work boatsmoored to dock eight, andtheyclimbedaboard.

TherewasanA-frameonthis boat, and a big winchwith a cable going through amassive block suspendedfromtheframe.Adozenorsomulti-colored coolers lashedhere and there to thegunwales. A big chunk of

deckrealestatewasoccupiedby a mysterious contraption:gray cylinders made fromwhat looked like PVC,suspendedinacirclearoundalarger round piece of metal.Billy gave up trying toidentify the rest of the oddequipmentsurroundingthem.

“What is this, a fishingboat?”Billyaskedaloud.

“No, it’s a researchvessel. Those are water

sampling bottles, and thecoolers are for shippingsamples.”

Billy smiled. “Ok,Captain Hook, let’s seewhat’s inside.” The cabindoorwaslockedwithasmallbrass padlock which Billypromptly broke with a longboat hook appropriated froma crevice behind the winch.Openingthedoor,hewentinfirst, followed closely by his

new compatriot. The cabinwas relatively small, abouttwelvefeetbyeightfeet,andthere were steps down to aforwardcompartment.

Billy looked at all theinstruments and realized hehad no idea what they werefor. There were two handleson the far starboardside (buthe didn’t know it was thestarboard side) near awindow, and all the

instruments looked like theycould be read from there. Abig red button satconspicuouslyunderayellowplastic molly-guard. It waslocked with another smallbrasslock.Hebrokethelock,pulled the cover up, andpressed the button. Awhirring sound was heardbelow deck, and the enginesfiredup.

Billy turned, looking out

a window, and saw blacksmokebillowingoutofaportsideexhaust.Davecamebackin the wheelhouse and toldBilly that he had untied thelinesmooringtheboat.“Thatforward spring line was onthecleatprettytight.Ialmosthadtocutit.”

“Springline?”“Yeah, the line thatgoes

—”“Do you know how to

drivethisthing?”“Well, my dad has a

sport boat with two leverslike that. One’s the throttle,and ones like a clutch. Henever let me drive though,saidIwastooyoung.”

“Well,” Billy said,“You’ve just been promotedto Captain, Captain. Flyyourselfoutofhere.”

“Butmydad…”“I’llfindhim,youget to

Alcatraz, it’s right there.”Hepointed.

“Butwhataboutyou?”“I wasn’t coming

anyway,I’mundesirable.”“Huh?”“Forgetit.Whenyouget

there, tell everybody Billysays hi.” Billy bolted fromthe cabin and jumped theshort gap between the boatandthedock.HegaveDaveashort wave and started

walkingtowardthegangway.“Newtally.One.”

A modest group of

peoplesurroundedamaponarottentableonAlcatraz.

“Wecan landhere southof Alameda in San LeandroBay,”Boonepointedtoaspoton themainlandashe leanedoverthemap.“Wewillgoup

the river here, and assumingthere is little Lima presence,and if we huff it, we couldmake good time to the depotfollowing this route. It’s along way.” He traced hisfingeracrossaredlinedrawninhighlighteronthemap.

“Barnes, you and yourpeoplewillstayinthecenter,and we will move by twoswhen we have to traverseopenareas.Wewillmaintain

absolute silence unless youseeadanger thatnooneelsesees.We will be on channelsix, and all of us, civviesincluded will maintain radiosilenceaswellaskeepingthelocal chatter down. I cannotstress enough how importantit is tobequiet.Thesethingsseem to come out of thewoodwork if they hearanything,andIwanttoseeasfew of them as possible.

Unfortunately, we will needtransport, and that makesnoise.”

ChrisRawdingraisedhishand.Boonelookedannoyed,“Yes?”

“Commander, I used towork here,” he indicated alocation on the map nearwhere Boone had pointedinitially.“There’sasurfshopacross the street, and theyalso had dirt bikes for rent.

They would be louder thanwalking,butwayfaster.”

“Lieutenant-commander.And that’s actually soundintelligence, son. We mightbe able to use those bikes toquickly skirt any traffic jamsor bug out quick if there arelarge concentrations ofLimas. Good work, we’llheadtherefirst.Ok,assumingwe’re able to appropriate thebikes or other transport, and

assuming the roads aren’ttotally jammed, itwon’t takebut anhour toget fromA toB. Once we’re at the depotandhavemadesuretheLAVsare functionaland fueled,wewill radio back to base andobtain partial coordinates totheammodump.

“Partial coordinates?”askedDallas.

“Affirmative. We willgetthelocationinstagesona

different frequency than six,and only I will get theupdates. If’ I’m killed, thenext in command will re-acquirethenewestcoordinateand you will proceed fromthere. Are there anyquestions?”

One of the SEALSstepped forward, “Sir,approximately when will weloseradiocontactwithbase?”

“Commander McInerney

assures us that we will beable tomaintaincontactwithSATCOM radio until wereachthemountainshere,”heindicated another spot on themap, “as long as our radiosare still in good condition.After that, the interferencefrom the mountains couldblock transmission or receiptof signal. The skipper hasalsotoldmethattheammoisonthissideofthemountains,

so we should be good.Anythingelse?No?Weleavein three hours. Allpreparations were made lastnight and this morning, andthe boats and gear are ready.Weapons will be distributedto the civvies when wedepart.”

Anna’s eyes lit up.“Weapons?”

“Yes.You didn’t think Iwasgoingtoletyoucrossan

entire nation crawling withundead with nothing but acrochet needle did you?”Snickers from the SEALs,and Anna smiled too. “Thiswas what the weaponstrainingwasforyesterday.”

Anna nodded inaffirmation, rememberinghowmuch fun ithadbeen tofire the black gun with thesilencer on it. One of theSEALs had told her that it

was a suppressor, andsilencersdidn’t exist,but shewould always call it asilencer. She hadn’t hit shitfor the first ten trieswith thegun, but after that she gotprettygood.

“Alright, if there are nomorequestions,Isuggestyousay your good-byes and getmentally prepared. Assembleonthedockwithyourtacticalgear on in two and a half

hours. I would like to seeyou,”BoonepointedatChris,“and you,” he pointed atAnna, “for a moment inprivate.”

Barnes lookedconcerned, but he filed outwith everyone else just thesame.Whenthethreeofthemwere alone, Boone sat in aricketychairandputhis facein his hand for a secondbefore looking at them with

tiredeyes.“Are you two fucking

crazy?”AnnaandChrislookedat

each other, bewildered.“What?”askedChris.

“Whythehellwouldyouwanttocomewithus?Thisisgoing to be damneddangerous. Iguarantee that ifwe make it to Boston, wewon’t make it there withoutcasualties. You’re just kids,

forChrist’ssake.”Chris spoke up.

“Lieutenant, I’m twentythree. How many of yourSEAL team are older thanme?”

Boone shook his head.“Bullshit son, they’re trainedkillers, the best in theworld.They’vegonethroughBUD/straining, SQT, which isadvanced‘HowToKillShit’training, and more training,

and then probation on thisteam under my supervision.Thentheyputthattrainingtouse by going to the worstplacesintheworldanddoingthe best anyone could do.You got two hours ofweaponstraining,andanhourof hand to hand. Odds areyou’re both gonna die. Stayhere.”

“I’d be dead if it wasn’tfor Rick Barnes,” countered

Chris. “He’s my friend andI’mgoing.”

“Metoo!”Annaagreed.“Fine then. As the

detachment commander, Ihave final say on any oppertainingtomymen.ThisisoneofthefewtimesIcantellan Admiral to fuck off if Ithink the op should be rundifferently.” He sighed. “Iadmire your resolve, both ofyou, but what I said is

probably true: you’re gonnadie. Shit, we’re probably allgonna die.Do you still wanttocomewithus?”

“We’dbedeadalreadyifRick didn’t risk his ass somanytimestosaveus.”

Booneshookhishead inacquiescence. “East dock, intwopointfive.”

“We’llbethere.”

Akidwasatthewheelof

the big blue and white boatthat pulled up to the westdockjustbeforefivePM.Hehad quite a story to tell,especially the part about aguy named Billy who hadsavedhisass.Thesameguy,

so it would seem, that hadalso saved another group offolks that had arrived somehoursbefore.

McInerney looked atMeara. “This is the sameBillyyoutoldmeabout?”

“Gottabe.”“Why does a psycho

killer keep going out of hiswaytosavestrangers?”

“I haven’t the foggiest,although I would certainly

entertain the prospect ofaskinghim.”

33The dock was crowded

with survivors from a deadcity,asfiveoftheirgroupandseven sailors prepared toleave. Packs and weaponswere placed on board twoblack, inflatable, Zodiacboats, and the SEALs

climbedaboard.Thecivilianssaid their good-byes;MartineztoMeara,ChrisandAnna to Sam, and Dallas toeverybody. He even gaveMartingale a great bear-hug.Rick pulled his dad and atearyeyedSamaside.

“Listen kiddo, Debbieand Juanita will look afteryouwhenGrandpaandMikearebusy. Ibethe’llneverbetoobusyforyou,though.”

“Iknow.”“Do you remember the

timewhenwewentcamping?Me, you,Grandpa,Mike andMike’sgrandsonPete?”

“Yeah.”“Who found you when

yougotlost?”“GrampyandMike.”“That’s right, they saved

you, and now there are evenmore people here to protectyou.I’llbetthat—”

“Daddy, I’mnotworriedabout me. I’m scared foryou.”

AlumpformedinRick’sthroat. His child sounded sogrown-up. “I know baby. IneedtohelpMom,though.”

“Promise you’ll comeback. If you don’t promise,thenI’ll…”

Rickcrossedhisheart.“Ipromise.”

Sam backed up and

looked at her grandfather.Paul stepped forward andsurprisedRickwithafatherlyembrace. “You watch yourassoutthere,boy.”

“Willdo,pop.Takecareofthebaby.”Paultookastepback, keeping his hands onhis son’s shoulders andlookinginhiseyes.“Gohelpyour wife. I’ll keep themunchkinsafe.”

The motor on the first

boatstarted,andtheboattookoff with Dallas, Anna, andfourSEALs.

“I knowyouwill. I loveyouguys.”

“I’m not a baby,” Samsaid under her breath, hereyesfulloftears.

Themotoronthesecondboat started, and Rickclimbed in,waving toMearaas he did. “I’ll be back in acouple of months!” he

shouted as the small craftdarted after the other. Hisdaughter was holding hisfather’shandandcryingasheshotacrossSanFranciscobaytoward death and muchworse.

TheEndReadonforafreesampleof

RedDeath.

AcknowledgmentsIwouldhavebeenunable

to successfully complete thisnovel without the assistanceand continued support ofseveral forward thinkingpeople. Thank you Bob,Carole, Lauren, Mike, Mom,andDad for lying tome andtellingme thisworkwas not

terrible. Their feedback wasinvaluable.ThankstoJ9,whonever read a single word ofthis novel, but showedunrelenting enthusiasm inhowcoolitwouldbetoknowapublishedauthor.ThankstoDawn Trapp, who explainedto me how to use a commaand what a parentheticalphrase is. I still can’t get itright, but she shows undyingpatience and continues to

teachme.Thanks to those online

folks that I’ve never had abeerwith,buthavespokentoon numerous occasions. Neilat Homepage of theDead.com,whotookachanceonme and had a few peoplebetareadandcommentonmyscribbled ramblings.Biswapriya Purkayastha, myfriend,wholivesinIndiaandis better with the English

language than I could everhope to be. A special thankstomyfriendJ.R.Jacksonandthe Ward Room(wdrmmta.wordpress.com).J.R. isbothabetareaderandmymilitarytechnicaladvisor,without whom this novelwould have been infinitelyless accurate. Eve and Joy,web goddesses and friends.Joy is a founder ofZombieFiend.com, and is

undoubtedly wearing a gasmaskasIwritethis.

ThankstoChrisRawdingfor his inspirational undeaddrawings.

Thanks to FF for hisYouTube and dudeiwantthatlinks…

Thanks to Severed Pressfor taking a chance on anunknown…

IfImissedthankingyou,and you’re reading this:

Thanks, Icouldn’thavedoneitwithoutyoueither…

RichRestucci isapracticingchemist living in PembrokeMassachusetts. He resideswith his lovely wife, threechildren, and a permanenthangover. He enjoysdrinkingbeer,stockinguponweapons and supplies,playing with explosives andreading/writing anythingzombie related. A buddingwriter, Rich has been

fortunatetohavethreestoriespublished prior to this novel,one in the anthology DeadWorlds 7, and two in theanthologyFeastorFamine:ABanquet of Tales for theZombie Prepper. Rich iscurrently working onpublishing several otherstories and a few novels.Check out Rich’s blog onZombieFiend.com

http://zombiefans.com/profiles/blog/list?user=1i1zm62nb9re6&page=2

PrologueTara’sDiaryDec10th,2015I am starting this diary

because I want to leavesomethingbehindifwedon’tmake it, if the whole humanrace is wiped out. I honestly

thinkthat’spossiblenow.Theeveryday, business-as-usualhorror of this newworld hasmade me long for normalcy,forhowitusedtobe.Maybeit’s just a little bit of vanityon my part, but I have thisterrible urge to yell, “Iexisted! I lived here, Imattered!” But the truth is Iprobably don’t matter. Or ifI’m long dead when somearcheologist uncovers this,

maybe I should say I didn’tmatter.

Thedayspasssoquicklynow. I’m so tired, maybethat’s why. I guess themodernwomanjustisn’tusedto physical labor any longer.Well,atleastI’mnot.Backinthe day, when my husbandand I were really young andpoor,Ididalotmore.Ihadtohang wet clothes out to drywhen the washer broke, and

chaseaftera twoyearoldallday. That’s the last time Iremember this kind oftiredness.Myheadusedtohitthe pillow and I was out.Didn’t know anything untilthenextdaywhenIhadtogetup and do it all over again,butIneverhadtodoanythinglike what I’m doing now.Finding firewood, sneakingouttotheriverforwater;it’shard.

I can hear my husbandLee rooting around in thebasement, trying to get theoldantiquepot-belliedstoveofmygreatunclehookedupandventedoutawindow.It’sbeen down there for ages. Ionly took it after my folksdied, when no one elsewanted it. For nostalgia’ssake, I guess. I’ve alwaysbeen the family hoarder—Iwas the one with the big

house, the walk-up attic, thebasement with eight footceilings—so I stored all thestuffnooneelseinthefamilywanted.And thatoldstove, Ihave to shake my head overthat one. I rememberwhen Iwasakidmymomwanteditafter my great-uncle died.This was during Mom’s“Early American” furniturephase—and she had to havethe stove set up in the living

room, exhaust pipe and all,“vented” out the wall aboveit. Fake of course, but it hadto look real to achieve theeffect she was going for. Iwasn’t even a teen yet, but Iremember my fascinationwith that old pot-belliedstove, the idea that myrelative actually used it forcooking and heating back intheday. It turnsout Ineededit after all, and I’m using it

just the way my great-uncledid in the1800s. In fact, thatold stove is a huge blessingvery few have access to inthis modern age. Never in amillion years did I think Iwould ever use it. There arelots of things now I neverthoughtI’ddo.

I guess I had better goback to thebeginning,beforethe greedy airlines wouldn’tstop the flights, before our

modern complacency andutter denial finished the job.Theycallitthereddeath,likethe old Edgar Allen Poestory. We just call theinfectedones,Reds.Redeyesglaringatthosewhoarewell,red sores oozing crimson,dark red arterial bloodgushing from every openingontheirbodiesattheend.It’sas close to zombies as theworld will ever know. In

some ways, I think it isworse.

Ebola. A funny name. IwishI’dneverheardit.

Chapter1March10,2015TaraGreenturnedonthe

newsintheTVroomupstairsandcrankeditup,planningtolisten as she got ready. Sheand her husband didn’t usethat room much anymore.Sometimes inwinterwhen itwas chilly downstairs, they

would bring up their laptopsand sit there in the cozinessofthesmallspace.Itwasjustbig enough for two easychairs, her old sewingmachineagainstonewallanda TV against the other. Twotall bookcases filled the onlyempty places in between.Those were full of books onvarious hobbies Tara hadgrown interested in over theyears. Everything from

antiques to knitting wasrepresented, along with a lotof Stephen King, Tara’sguiltypleasure.

Shehadslept in thatdayas usual, but had someerrands to run and bills topay. Theweather had finallyturned warmer, a little earlyfor March. Nevertheless, itwas a nice change. As whatshe needed to do scrolledthrough her head, Tara

jumped in the shower.Afterward, she dried herselfoff, and as shewas applyingmoisturizer and trying not tonotice the lines around hereyes, Tara heard the TVnewscaster in the other roomtalking about DoctorsWithout Borders. They werea missionary group thatvolunteered and staffedclinics around the world,helping poor and thirdworld

countries receive goodmedical care. As she rubbedthe cream onto her skin, shewalkedoutofthebathroomtoglanceinattheTV.

“We’re trying to controlthe outbreak, but the burialpractices of villagers areperpetuating the disease.Thefamilies of the deceased gothrough a ritual washing oftheir loved one’s bodies, andEbolaspreadsmostlythrough

bodilyfluids.”Thehandsomeyoungdoctorappearedgrave.

“So how can you getthem to stop washing thebodies?” asked the reporter.Thedoctorsighed.“Wecan’t,so it is spreading, oftenkilling within days ofshowingsymptoms.Withthisstrain, Ebola Zaire, up to a90%deathrate, it’s tragic.Infact, rumors among thepeople here are that

westernersbringthevirus,sotheyavoidus.Theyrunawaywhenwe approach, and hidetheir sick relatives from us.It’sanightmare.”

Unreal. Those poorpeople. Tara finishedapplying the moisturizer andwalked back into thebathroom.ShehadreadaboutEbola years before. It wasoneofthebadones.Afterthefirst case in 1976, scientists

believed itoriginated inbats.The initial victim had gonehikinginacavewithalotofbat guano, and that was theonly connection they couldmake. Ebola promptlydisappeared after that firstoutbreak.Asanewerdisease,very little was known, evennow. One fact was thatamong Africans who ate“bushmeat’—bats,monkeys,rodents—every so often a

person would develop fever,muscle aches, headache andsore throat. This was soonfollowedbyprofusevomitingand diarrhea. Very fewsurvived, and whenhemorrhagic symptomsbegan, bleeding from theeyes,nose,andotherorifices,it was usually too late. Thevirus actually dissolved yourinternalorgans.

Tara listened to the

young doctor on TV for amoment longer, and thenwentbacktoherroutine.Shefinished her makeup andwashed her hands, running aquickcomb throughherhair.But she couldn’t shake thedoctor’s words— it wasspreading fast and killing90% of people, and whenbleeding started, it was toolate. I imagine it’s prettyhard to recover from

projectile vomiting up yourliquefied internal organs.Whatanawfulwaytodie.

Tara felt sorry for them,but it was all so far away inAfrica,itwasn’treal.Shehadtoomanyother thingsonhermind. And that was the firstwarning.

~The virus had no

conscience,nomorals,andnocompassion. It was a model

of efficiency, built tooverwhelmthisnewsourceofprocreation. Its only purposewas to survive,multiply, andwin. The extinction of thehost was not even ofconsequence. In the finaldeath throes, so much viruswas expelled in vomit, fecesand sweat, the odds ofcontinuing its life cycle in anew host were virtuallyguaranteed. The bodies were

sohighlyinfectious,theyhadto be handled in fullbiohazardsuitsandburned.

And so it multiplied,took hold, ravaged andtravelled. Person to person,surface to hand, hand to eyeormouth—onemicrononthearmrest of a flight fromAfrica;onesneezecirculatinginfected droplets in theenclosed cabin of the planeand 100 more victims fell

within 8-21 days. Thosevictims infected their ownquotabefore theydied,manytimesevenafterward.

Ebola was a brilliant,invisiblekillingmachine.

~August26,2015A strange noise came

from somewhere outside thehouseand itdrewTaraawayfromherlaptoptoinvestigate.

The new novel she hadstarted kept her so engrossedshehadignoredthesoundsatfirst. She crossed her old-fashioned kitchen and leanedacrossthesink,openingaslatonthewoodenblindsoverthebigwindow.Theviewwasofher neighbor’s house just 20feet across her drive. Theneighbor’s back breezewayopened just at the passengersideofacar.Anoldpieceof

particleboard blocked thelower half of the opening,preventing their tiny dog’sescape.

Tara and her husbandLee had lived in their early1900s house for nearlytwenty years, and theirneighbors were only thesecondfamilybesidetheminall that time. They wereyoungerthanTaraandLeebyten years, pleasant enough

and not too rowdy. Thiswasfar more important to theGreen’s than anything else,the older they got. Althoughthe neighbors weren’t whatyou’d call friends, both Taraand her husband had sharedmany conversations over abag of groceries on the wayinto their house. Frank andMarla were good neighborstoo, offering extra chairs atTara’s occasional fire pit

gatherings,ortheuseoftheirrototiller for Lee’s smallgarden patch each spring.Tara sometimes delivered aplate of cookies to theirbackdooratChristmas.

Tara peered curiouslythroughtheblindsandcaughtmovement on their patio. Itwas the neighbor woman,Marla.ShewasyellingatherhusbandFrank.

“Youbastard! I toldyou

Iwassick,”shescreeched.Ahuge crash followed, andTara saw a green plasticporch chair fly past. Then acar door slammed on theother side of their housewhere the driveway sat,followed by the sound ofsquealingtiresonconcrete.

Now that’s weird. Theynever fight, let alone screamateachother!

Tara narrowed her dark

eyes as she watched Marlastagger past on the patio.Alarmed now, she thought itmightbetheneighborlythingtodotostickherheadoutandsee if thewomanneededanyhelp.

Tara opened her backdoor and crossed her tinyporch in three steps. It waswalledoffonMarla’sside,sowithonearmwrappedaroundthe end post, she leaned out

pastthewall.“Marla, are you okay?”

shecalled.The sound of scuffling

greeted her ears—thenMarla’s white face appearedabove the particleboard, butsomething was wrong withher. Her usual placidexpression was gone,replaced by twisted frenzy.Her eyes were bright red,bloodylookingalmost.

“I’msick.”Marlarasped.“Caught something inTexas.”

Taraknew theneighborshad been visiting relatives inDallas a week or so before.Marla had asked her to keepan eye on their place whiletheyweregone.

“Ohno.IsthereanythingIcando?”

“No, thanks, goin’ tobed.”

“Marla, did you hurtyour eyes? They’re reallyred.”

Marla shrugged andwiped at one. A smear ofbloodcameawayonthebackof her hand. She stared at it,dumbfounded.

Oh, my God! Blood inhereyes?Tara’smindpushedaway this evidence, notacceptingit,butTarafeltsheshould do something. “Are

you sure you’re okay? DidFrankjustleave?”

Marlanodded.“He’ssicktoo. But he’s goin’ after flumedicineforus,”sheslurred.

Tara backed upinstinctively as the illneighbor woman leaned outherway.

Ugh. Whatever it is, Idon’twanttocatchit.“Okay,well, I hope you feel bettersoon.”

Marla nodded andshuffled toward her backdoor, disappearing fromview. Tara heard her gag,and then a splatter of whatsounded like vomit hittingtheircementpatiofloor.

Eww.Nothing she coulddoandshesuredidn’twanttoget some weird Texas flubug.

Tara pulled herself backonto her porch. She pushed

backherlongbrownhairandclosed the door behind her.GoodGod.She’dalwayshadto be a bit of a germaphobeanywayduetoachroniccaseofCrohn’sdisease.Sinceherimmune system was keptsomewhat suppressed by themeds to treat this, Tara wasparticularlymindfulofillnessaround her. She had to be.She’d learned to wash herhands a lot, and to be aware

ofanythingshetouched.Thiscaution came after years ofconstant illness and catchingevery seasonal cold and fluvirus that cropped up. Tarafinally realized that shoppingcarts, doorknobs, gas stationpumps— all those innocent-seeming, everyday surfaceswere teemingwith germs forher. It was a hard lesson,learned young, but welllearned nonetheless. These

dayssherarelygotsick.Back inside, Tara heard

the sound of her neighborFrank’s car returning. Notlongafter that,whilesheandLee sat together in front ofthe TV, the siren of anambulance somewherenearby intruded. Tara didn’tputtwoandtwotogetheruntilshe heard a local newscasteron the radio the next daywhile grocery shopping. An

areawomanandherhusbandhadbeentakentothehospitalwith a mysterious illness.They were in criticalcondition—inquarantine.

Tara’s hand flew to hermouth. She stopped herselfjust before touching her lips,glancing down at the carthandle squeamishly. Shemadeherwaytothecleaningaisle and picked up twocontainers of alcohol wipes.

Looking around, she poppedthe cylinder open and tookone out, wiping first herhands, then the cart handle.Shedroppedtheusedwipeinthe basket and set thecontainer back in as well.Silly maybe, but you justneverknew.

Tara suddenlyremembered the newssaturated with a first case ofEbola in America the month

before. She hadn’t paid a lotof attention, just enough toexperience a cringe-worthymoment over the diseasespreading to theUSA.Tara’sbook had been due at thetime, and pushing up againstthe deadline was all thatconsumed her thoughts.Come to think of it, wasn’tthatcaseinDallas?

~Colt Stevens ran

headlongontotheplaygroundat noon recess. He and hisfriends were going to play agameoftag.Hekeptoneeyeon Tasha Moore, hoping togetheronhisteam.Itwasherbirthday, and he was excitedbecause she had broughtcupcakes to share with theclasslater.

Colt was a rough andtumble littleboyandnothingmuch slowed him down.

Even hismother, whowas anurse, despaired of himsometimes.Justthatmorning,he’d been running a slighttemperature and she wantedto keep him home, but Coltwouldn’t hear of it. He’dmissed too much schoolalreadywhiletheywereawayin Dallas visiting his mom’sfamilywithAuntMarla.

Colt grabbed Tasha’shand and pulled her over to

hisside.Shesmiledandstoodbeside him as he explainedthe rules to the others. Thewind kicked up and blew aspeckofdustintohereyeandsherubbedit.

She andColt played andran, tagging others, grabbingat their hands and arms.Later, when they all wentback inside, they took turnssharingthepieceofchalkandwriting on the blackboard.

Colt was the teacher’sfavoriteaswellasTasha’s,soafterward,theteacherallowedhimtohandouteachcupcaketo the class in honor ofTasha’sbirthday.

Itwas almost the end ofthe day when Colt suddenlythrew up beside his desk. Itwas gross according topopular opinion, and Coltwent down to the principal’soffice. The janitor came to

clean it all up. The teachercalledeveryonetothefrontofthe classroom to distract thekidswhilehedidtoavoidanysympathy puking. Soon, thebell rang and it was time togo home. None of themwashedtheirhands.

~Tara watched the

neighbor’s house next doorand waited, even calling thehospital several times to ask

about them. At first, theadmissions desk refused togiveheranyinformation,andlater, they denied Marla andFrank were ever even there.This made Tara uneasy, butwith the new HIPAA laws,she understood they couldn’ttell her anything. So shebrushedoffthebadfeelinginhergut.

Summerwasalmostoverand the endof seasonchores

waited. Tara worked in thegarden out back for severaldays,clearingthespentplantsandharvestingsometomatoesand peppers. She kept oneeye on the neighbor’s patio,hopingsomeone,maybeevenMarlaorFrankwouldfinallyarrive.

The rest of Tara’s timewas focused on editing andturning her book in to herpublishing company. Each

timeshecrossedbetweenherback porch and the openbreezeway of Marla’s house,it yawned emptily at her.NoonecameandTara’sconcernincreased with each passingday.

Where’s their little dog?Did someone come get it?ThisworriedTaraasmuchasMarla and Frank’s currentconditions, but she could nothear the dog barking, so she

hoped their friends or familyhad picked it up. She didn’twant to have to break awindowtogettheanimalout,but decided shewould if shehad to. The days ticked bywith no word, and Tara’suneasinessgrew.

RedDeathisavailablefromAmazonhere

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