Zombiefest Ch. 03

We continued up the road at a fair clip, I kept at my easy going lope most of the time at night. Stop around day break, eat some breakfast, drift off for a few hours. Wake up, run for a couple hours, eat lunch and drift off again. After a light supper I would be ready to run for ten hours with stops for bathroom breaks. It was actually doing well with that routine, the girls would stay busy while I rested and keep an eye out for trouble.

Have to admit that part of my mind was always awake, the moment a sound out of the ordinary came out I was instantly alert. But I didn't tell them that, they needed to feel useful and get exercise as well.

"You hear that?" Charlie asked Tami. I was already awake and had been listening for the last five minutes or more. No birds, no bugs, nothing made a sound that should have been.

"I don't hear anything." Tami replied doubtfully.

"Remember what Dakota said, if all sound stops, it usually means something is out hunting." Charlie reminded her and I smiled to myself. Sounds like my teaching is being taken to heart. Charlie turned and began to move slowly towards me.

"I'm awake.." I whispered to her but didn't move. She didn't move to show I had spoken to her and just bent down near one of the bags as if it had been her intent all along.

"Do you know what it is?" she asked and I nodded.

"At least eight men, they're hiding in the tall grass over there behind Tami about fifty yards. I was letting them close in just in case they are being cautious." I told her slowly.

"Oww, something bit me!" Tami cried out and before I knew it Charlie jumped and yelped as well. Then I saw something flying at me and swatted it away. While I was looking at it I realized it was a dart just as a second one hit my thigh. In no time I felt the affects and faded into the darkness.

When I woke up nearly an hour and a half had passed by. The girls were gone and so was the camper. I did find my walking stick, apparently it didn't look like anything they wanted or cared about and simply left it. I could see the tracks of the trailer and from the indents, the girls were riding on it. The sun was just starting to hit the Horizon as it was setting into nightfall. I smiled to myself and began the easy going lope that would make up ground quickly on the men who took them.

Just as I crest the rise I could see the Stronghold below, it sat in a slight valley that from the road you would have never seen. The men were just arriving and the gate was opening for them, the girls were draped over the camper still unconscious though slightly stirring. I ran slowly around the Stronghold, only way in was through the Gate.

"Hello the Gate!" I called out. The voices inside had suddenly stopped their talking. I had been listening to them talk about how they had made off with some guys daughters. Just how old did they think I was?

"Who goes there?" came a shouted demand.

"You should know, you stole my Trailer and kidnapped my friends." I called back. I took the time to check the gate carefully, it was a heavy wood door, but I was betting that the lock was something basic like one or two boards that was braced sideways to keep the double doors closed.

"You must be mistaken, we found a trailer and the two young ladies asked if they could join us." a voice called back while another said something along the lines of how they should have killed me when I was unconscious and he's right, they should have...

"We did not, help us!" Tami cried out followed by the sound of a slap and her yelp as someone yelled at her to shut up. I narrowed my eyes at the gate, a head popped out over the top of the gate looking down at me. I pulled a dagger and threw it, it stuck in his throat and he fell to the ground before me. I casually walked up and pulled the knife and wiped the blood off on his clothes.

"Touch them again and I will kill everyone I find within these walls. Men, women and children as I am sure that your gene pool should never be allowed to flourish." I replied evenly as I stood back up.

"Like you can do anything from out there.." the same voice was calling out and suddenly stopped when the gates slammed open and the small post that had been holding it nearly exploded in a shower of wood splinters. I walked inside and swung my hands in an arc before my body. Six throwing knives flew out and struck six of the men who I had seen making their way into the gate. While they stood in shock, I popped the sheaths off the double bladed staff and continued to advance.

Others remained out of the way, their fear filled the air with their pungent stench. The other men who had attacked us seemed to be separate from the others in some way. The leader pulled out a sword and charged at me. I blocked two of his swings before countering and with one swipe both his legs were sliced behind his knees and he was flopping on the ground screaming in pain.

Four more ran at me with drawn weapons, why they didn't shoot with darts again or even a gun was beyond me. But it made things easier for me at this point. The first man had swung and I blocked only to swing the blades in reverse while spinning the staff around, the blade opened up his guts like an old suit. The next man I wasted no time with and simply jab straight forward through his heart. The third literally lost his head and the forth didn't fair much better.

The leader was still screaming his fool head off, which had the large number of Zombies to the West taking notice and moving in this direction. I figured we had maybe ten minutes. I kicked the man in the side of his head to shut him up.

"Well if you two are finished with your friends, I suggest we get going?" I said to Charlie and Tami. Both looked wide eyed at what I had just done but nodded quickly.

"Wait, we want to thank you for helping us, they have been terrorizing us ever sense we were stupid enough to let them in." a man was saying. I tested the air, it smelled like close to sixty people lived here, minus the morons.

"There were roughly a dozen men and you number what, around sixty. How could twelve over power sixty?" I asked while securing the camper. The Zombie's were definitely moving closer.

"We were.." he started saying while looking down and I frowned.

"Scared.." I supplied and he nodded. I looked around for a moment and got an idea what was going on.

"You allowed men to take what they wanted, when they wanted. Even your own Wives and Daughters.. you would have stood by and done nothing while they did whatever they wanted with these two and you think I would care to help a bunch of worthless people like you.." I asked and shook my head, "Not even on a good day and so far this day has sucked.."

"One more thing, your friend there.." I pointed at the unconscious leader, "..has alerted a band of Zombies of roughly twenty plus and they should be here within eight minutes. My advice, slip him and his friends outside the gate and barricade it and cover the blood on the ground then stay very quiet. Come morning they will be calmer with out the blood lust and someone can lead them away more easily. And with that, my hospitality has run dry.."

I strapped up the harness and started for the gate, no one even considered trying to stop me or even ask how I knew about the Zombie's. Instead they dragged the dead and wounded out of the gate and worked to secure it.

"Think they got it secured in time?" Charlie asked and I shrugged lightly.

"Do you care?" I asked her in reply. When she had to stop and think about it, I knew something inside her had changed. But after all she had been through, it may had changed well before this and this had just been that last push to reflect that change.

"Try to rest, we have a long ways to go." I said quietly. I was thankful we were far enough away that they didn't hear the leader screaming in the distance. I tuned it out and just kept going and keeping an eye out. From now on anyone trying to sneak up on us would pay a heavy toll if they were an enemy or not.

I listened as the road noise and the gentle bump slowly settled them both until they finally drifted off to sleep once again. Once they were out I let my body go, it seemed almost an automatic thing anymore. I didn't have to think about what I was doing, I could let my mind wander while my body maintained the constant speed. Now and then drifting a bit to skirt around zombies as they were recognized and then back on course once we were well past them. It was second nature now and even comfortable while at the same time I made peace with myself for doing what I knew to be right and true.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Charlie whispered still half a sleep. We were travelling through more farm lands now. The problem was that the cattle and horses were still stuck inside pastures. They were slowly starving so I started opening fences and gates as we were traveling. I made sure the fence material was bound up so no animals got caught up in them. Sadly those who had been inside pens or corals and could not escape had starved to death long ago.

"Just letting the animals run free so they can eat and drink." I assured her and began running once again. We were moving along the out skirts of a town called Lakeview. I hadn't been paying attention which State we were currently traveling through. It was a small Town but spread out pretty far within the Valley. It had once been a farming and ranching community, now it was just as dead and desolate as most of the others we had come across.

During our travels sense being ambushed, we had come across two other strongholds. One offered to adopt the girls, they had several couples who would love to have children. Both girls declined the offers. The second one went so far as to even ask what I would take in trade for them. I didn't kill them, but made it clear that I did not find their words to my liking.

"Aww the big soldier does have a heart after all.." Charlie sing songed at me. I rolled my eyes and muttered just loud enough for her to hear me.

"I can still turn around and take them up on their offer of trade for you, you know.." I replied with amusement in my voice and she giggled. As I continued the run I listened as she drifted back to sleep.

The sun would be rising in a couple hours and unless I found a really good spot. We would continue as far as we could. Less then fifteen minutes later I found a large Cabin with high fences and a solid gate. I pulled the trailer inside the opened gate and checked the interior before checking the Cabin. It was empty of people and zombies. The dust showed no one had been around in months. The owner must have either run off for lack of food, or during the hunt for food became that to the zombies.

I secured the gate and bent a metal bar through the access for the latch. Only someone very strong and with a functioning brain would be able to open it. Once inside we found a large screen TV, solar and wind power kept the place powered up and a DVD collection that would make Hollywood blush. I also took out some items they could mix up for their breakfast. The place would do for a day or two, and give me time to regain strength and peace of mind.

After a check around the perimeter of the fence I went back inside and carried the girls to a bedroom with bunk beds. Then moved to the Master Bedroom, took a shower, got cleaned up and went to bed.

I had enjoyed a descent nights sleep and was in the middle of a shower when I heard the scream. With out hesitating I ran from the shower to find both Tami and Charlie leaning against the door yelling for help. On the other side of the door a Zombie had somehow been hidden inside the fence. This was on me, I didn't check every building last night.

I raced forward even as I watched the zombies head lean in behind Charlie, she screamed even louder in pain. I knew she'd been bitten and my heart faltered even as I pulled her away. Tami scrambled out of the way while I kicked the zombie square in the chest sending him flying out of the cabin and slamming the door shut.

"Tami go in the bathroom and get the med kit, it's on the wall behind the door." I said quickly. With the virus people could take hours to days to change. With bites no more then twelve hours and most of the time within two or three at best.

"I'm going to change into one of them, you can't let me, please you can't let that happen." Charlie said in a voice full of fear and pain. I tore the shirt open carefully to look at the wound and sighed lightly.

"Charlie, I won't lie. The bite broke through the skin and drew blood. Chances are nearly a hundred percent you will turn into a Zombie." I said sadly. Out of a million people one might be immune to the virus, but because of infection they didn't survive either and death was a painful process for them. In all cases the bite was fatal. Then I frowned slightly, all except me.

"What, what is it?" Charlie asked when she noticed my thoughtful look.

"If you want to try, we can see if my blood can stop the process. I have no idea if it will work or not and if it does make you like me I will say this right now. It was a painful process lasting about five to seven days. A few times I almost wish I had become a zombie just so I could bite those stupid Doctors who did it to me." I admitted to her and grinned while she smiled and then nodded slowly.

"Do it, and promise me if it doesn't work, you stop me and protect Tami. And do not leave me as a zombie or I will hunt for you wherever you go and bite you on the butt every chance I get." she said smirking while I laughed lightly.

Pulling out my knife I cut my palm letting the blood well up and then pressing my hand against the bite wound. She gasped and clenched her jaws while I made sure the blood from my hand covered the entire bite wound.

Something in a Zombie's saliva acted as an agent that kept the blood from normally clotting and slowing or even stop the bleeding from continuing, most bites alone would not be considered fatal, but several none fatal bites would cause you to bleed out. And add that Zombie's won't continue to eat the dead, the victim is then left with the virus working inside them and bringing them back to a zombie state.

After making sure my blood covered the wound I grabbed a few napkins and covered my hand then watched her wound. The blood stopped flowing and her body tensed.

Tami rushed back with the big white and red box and popped it open. I smiled at her.

"Thanks Tami, while I bandage up Charlie could you go into the big bedroom and grab me some shorts, being naked right now is a bit uncomfortable." I asked her while she had been averting her gaze and laughed lightly before running off once again.

"Can't say I haven't enjoyed the show." Charlie quipped before grimacing in pain. I hugged her gently and rocked her back and forth.

"I have no idea if this will work, with the blood clotting already, I would say it is fighting off the Zombie Virus, but I can't be sure." I said to her quietly.

"Just keep your promise, you will not leave me a zombie if it goes that way." she said while I nodded slowly. She tilted her head up looking at me and I blinked back at her slightly startled.

"What?" she said and gasped as another wave of pain hit her.

"The color of your eyes are changing already. They are becoming purple like mine." I told her and picked her up.

"We need to get you to a room now, one that is darker or else the pain from lights will get added to what you are already feeling. The cure in my blood must have grown stronger sense I was injected, far as I know my eyes didn't change until a couple days after the injection." I explained and she nodded.

"That must mean your blood is working then, I won't be a zombie. But you are right, it hurts a lot." she said even as she gasped in pain. I laid her on the bed and Tami ran inside with my shorts while she handed them to me she was looking in the opposite direction while Charlie giggled at her between the waves of pain that was altering her body.

"Charlie is going to be like you now?" Tami asked as she looked back after I had pulled on the shorts.

"Yes.." I said and she nodded slowly.

"I want to be like you too, do I have to be bit by a Zombie first though?" she asked looking a bit scared at the prospect. I shook my head and smiled at her.

"No, you don't have to be bit by a Zombie first, in fact once you are like me you will be able to run far faster then a zombie and for much longer. And even if you do get bit, you won't change into one." I assured her and then frowned slightly. She would be safe from them, they would both be safe from them.

"Stay with Charlie, I will be right back." I told Tami, who nodded and climbed on the bed to lay beside Charlie. I went back into the kitchen and open the fridge, right on the shelf was the small bottles of insulin, the owner had been an insulin injecting diabetic. That also meant that they would have had syringes by the hundreds as most never reused them. I went through the cabinets and drawers until I found three full boxes of 25 count syringes and another box still containing eleven more within.

After pulling a fresh syringe out I swabbed the area over my arm where one of many veins pulsed just below the skin. For whatever reason my veins had always stood out like a freaken road map. With a slight pinch I was in and withdrew what looked to be around half the barrel and withdrew the needle. I figured it was probably about as much if not more then what had actually gotten into Charlie's blood. And with injecting it straight into Tami's vein, it should be more then enough.

"Are you sure you want this, it will hurt for several days before the change is complete. Afterwards you will be very sensitive to light, you won't be able to sleep for very long and you will have to exercise more or your muscles will get cramped and hurt." I explained to Tami yet again.

"Just do it, we need to keep her safe too." Charlie said through gritted teeth. I sighed and nodded then carefully slipped the needle into Tami's arm, she gasped softly and I injected her with my blood, it was a good thing I was what the Doctors called a universal donor or this would have been tricky.

For the next week we remained inside the cabin while my blood and the cure changed the girls bodies, in the dark I could see their eyes glowed softly. They would sleep when they could between the waves of pain and changes. The changes were complete within five days but because of what they went through and lack of sleep during the change, we stayed two more days to let them regain their strength.

I walked outside and kicked the zombie across the yard and into the fence. The damn thing still pissed me off to no end, biting a little girl. It got up slowly and I rush at it even as I lifted the sword. In an instant I had side stepped to the side and swiped the blade through his neck. His head rolled away from his body as it remained moving for two steps before falling down as well.

I dragged the body and head away before checking the garage for the first time and smiled widely at what I found. Inside was several mountain bikes with repair kits for tires, chains and even seats with spares for everything to repair on the road. While the girls got use to their new bodies, I made some changes to the small camper trailer to include a bike rack on the back for those times the girls were riding on the camper instead of on the bikes. The bike I would use was given a simple hitch to attach the camper with a quick release as well.

"All set?" I asked them as we pushed the bikes out of the yard and past the gate. I closed it back up. If other survivors were out there, this would make a good lay over that was secure. They both nodded as they climbed on their bikes.

"Remember at first you will notice anything and everything that moves, even animals. You will be amazed just how much you missed before and your sense of hearing and smell will also be heightened, sometimes to your disgust when you smell Tami fart." I said with a light chuckle while Tami blushed and yelled "Hey!"