Chapter 25: Divided and Conquered

Chapter 25: Divided and Conquered

　

    "What?!" Ben screams in a panic nearly dropping Anne in the process. "Shh keep it down." The young man holding the Uzi like a cliché' Hollywood thug chides. "Keep it down?!" “My Lord Chip ... Belinda are out there alone.” Anne whines. Locket is at their side with a look of concern. "Mr. and Mrs. James what seems to be the problem?” She asks cautiously eyeballing the boy with the dirty dreads. His right arm is heavily bandaged with dirty white gauze from bicep to forearm. Locket takes note this part of the development does not please her. Ben moves into the house's spacious living room then he's struck by a breath taking foul odor. Scanning the room he sees everyone else has something pulled up over their noses. Ben finds a clean looking couch where he places Anne. "It's Chip and B they're lost that road goes down into a sub division not up to the front of the house as we thought. We've gotta go Carson, Locket, Jamal come on!" Ben whirls back to the front door the boy now blocks their way as he stands guard in the tiny foyer. "Hold on sir we don't have time for this." The Rasta kid cautions the group. "Don't have time? What the hell do you mean kid get out of my way." Ben bull stomps forward as the young man raises his Uzi. "Dude stop everybody drop y’alls guns on the floor now.” He waves his gun about the room tilted sideways the way the movies had shown him was "cool" his hand clearly shaking. "Hey you people are crazy we can't be up here." He shouts peering back at the barred front door. "Look I swear I will help you find your kids in the morning as soon as the sun comes up." Anne clutches her terrified son all the while watching as her husbands face contorts in anger. "Look boy I don't know what your issue is but you're going to have to kill me to keep me in this house.” Ben blurts seething with rage he reaches for the pistol in his waistband. His hand comes back empty realizing he gave his to pistol to Chip. "I could kill you man I could do it right now bro or you could go out this door and grab the wrong zombies attention. Then you'll be killing us all so your kids versus everybody here man you decide."

    The nervous boy brushes twisted matted dreadlocks out of his face. "Look dude you look like you reaching fo your piece and it aint there. Did you give it to one of your kids? Think did you hear any shots before you came in I didn't?" Ben thought back he hadn't heard any shots. "Yeah I gave it to my son and I didn't hear any shots but forgive me. Let's make it clear I don't want to leave my wheelchair bound son and my eight year old daughter outside with the undead overnight." The dazed young man steps in from the foyer cautiously. "Look Mister I pray your son is resourceful. There are plenty of places they can hideout until morning down there in Clow Oaks. Most of them houses were foreclosed on to begin with so there weren't many folks living down there." Locket slides in from the side but the kid whirls pointing the semi automatic pistol at her. "Easy now..." Locket holds her hands out stepping back. "What did you mean when you said 'grab the wrong zombies attention' a few minuets ago and what is that ungodly smell?" Taking a few seconds to steal a glance back outside the he comes into the living room. "Look I can explain everything but we have to get down stairs guys." He says Ben glares at the boy with disgust. "I'm not leaving nor am I going down stairs and locking myself away with someone whose been bitten. I know what will happen tonight as soon as the Sun sets you're going to come back as one of those smart zombie things. As far as I am concerned son you're a dead man. So weather I kill you now to get to my son or you drop dead in a few hours it doesn’t matter to me.” Apprehension ripples through those gathered in the living room. Fear that this stand off will end badly seems to linger about the room like that ungodly foul odor. The dreadlocked young man pauses before cocking the slide menacingly on the sub machine pistol. "Give me five minuets in my cellar .... Umm I didn't catch your name before you threatened to kill me Sir." Ben's jaws clench bulging up and down "Benjamin James" he squeezes out. "Well Mr. James people around these parts call me White Magic." The entire room full of survivors stops in one motion most have that confused tilted head look a dog gives off when a passing mirror. "If you kind folks will hustle down this here hallway I will enlightened you once we get downstairs." He motions with the gun still aimed at Ben and no one moves. "Ben..." Anne calls hobbling up from the couch. Ben runs over and catches her just as she tumbles forward he lifts her up into his arms once more. "Look give him five minutes honey because he seems pretty unreasonable now and none of us has guns at this point." Ben nods his thick head the tears welling up in corners of her eyes softens his heart. Ben looks to those gathered around waiting for him to speak. "Alright guys we give Vanilla Ice here five minuets then if he's not making sense we snap his scrawny neck and go get my kids."

    Ben lets his words hang in the air before starting down the hallway as instructed. "Brandon come on son." He calls the boy who is still seated on the couch. Slowly the survivors begin to move Jamal, Bianca and the kids move in step behind the James'. They head down the dark rickety hallway the old cherry wooden floorboards creaking underfoot. The house is well built but very old underneath the dreadful odor that dusty old people smell lingers about the house. "Now hook a left go down them stairs then hang a right at the bottom." White Magic's voice calls from the rear of the line. Moving as instructed the group descends into a dank musty knick knack filled basement. Spider webs cling to old discolored wooden joist. Down here in this cluttered storage area Ben is struck at the disorganization. His basement by comparison had been an immaculate extension of his house. From above them the sound of the man bolting the door at the top of the stairs shut. “Everybody get in a group away from the base of the stairs.” White Magic calls as he glides down the stairs still wearing sunglasses in the nearly pitch black basement. “Look we said we’d listen to you Vanilla Ice so there’s no need to keep threatening us.” Ben says moving with his people into a tight group away from the bottom off the stairs. “That’s another thing old dude who the fuck is Vanilla Ice man. You keep saying that like its funny or something.” White Magic says rounding the base of the stairs. Ben comes to the self realization that other he, Anne and Bianca nobody else probably was old enough to remember Vanilla Ice. “Look it up when you get the chance. I’m sure you’ll find it enlightening.” Ben tells the boy shuffling Anne in his arms. “Hummm I’ll do that brother and for your sake it’d better be amusing or some shit like that.” With that the lanky young man whips his dreaded up hair from his eyes. His hands search the top of the earthen wall that runs flush along the staircase. There’s a soft click White Magic leans all of his weight against the wall. With a bump a six foot slab of wall ratchets in about a foot bringing a soft shaft of light into the basement. With practiced ease he rolls the wall section upward heavily favoring his wounded right arm. “Welcome to my home away from hell.” White Magic smiles motioning down the dirt walled dimly lit tunnel. “Com’on in everybody just head through the door at the end of the tunnel. The passageway is very old reeking of wet earthy mildew. Ben thinks as he takes the first cautious steps on the packed dirt. He has to turn sideways in order to fit and not bump Anne’s poor foot. “Hey before y’alls ask this wasn’t no stop on the Underground Railroad or nuttin.” Their host chuckles behind them. “Ben …” He hears Bianca’s soft voice whisper to from immediately behind him. “This doesn’t feel right.” Her words surround him in the dusty air. “You don’t have to tell me …” He responds “None of this feels right Bianca.” Ben stops at a thick rusted door using his booted foot he attempts in vain to move the heavy door. Turning his back to the steel door he presses his full weight against it. The door groans on its antique hinges a crack opens the tunnel is awash in a bright fluorescent light. Ben is dumbfounded by the sight that greets him.

    Ben is blinded momentarily by the intense white light washing over him he turns sideways to avoid bumping any part of Anne on the rusty door. "What the Hell" Ben gasps at the sight before him. Stopping in place Ben looks over rows and rows of healthy green plants running the distance of the twenty foot long bunker. Lengths of tube weave in and around the plant tanks like a clear boa constrictor pumping water into the hydrophobic plant system. The two most prominent sounds in the underground den are that of bubbling of water and the hum of electrical motors running. From behind Ben feels Brandon push forward. "Daaaad..." the boy whines. “Oh I’m sorry son.” Ben walks deeper into the room allowing the others to pile in behind him. "Welcome to my farm ...." White Magic pronounces strolling into the room like a game show host his arms spread wide. Locket is a blur snapping the gun from the boy limp grip while throwing an elbow to the side of his head finishing him with a leg sweep. White Magic’s designer sunglasses go flying across the floor. He’s on the ancient weathered cement floor for at least fifteen seconds before his drug addled mind realizes it. "Sit still Mr. Magic I'd take great pleasure in shooting you right about now." Sara Locket says crunching a boot down on White Magic wrist. Ben is literally stunned by the speed and ferocity the girl used to put the armed man on his back. "Mr. Magic I like that." White Magic mumbles from the floor rubbing the side of his slowly swelling head. "Hold on Locket." Ben blurts his head moving as he scans the room. He finds a set of three new clean wooden creates against the wall. “Let him have his say Locket so we can get back down here once we leave.” Ben tells the soldier as he places Anne down on a create Brandon moving through the crowd to his mother's lap. "Fair enough Jamal ..... Carson double time it back upstairs and secure all of our weapons.” Locket doesn't look up as the two men take off at a sprint back down the dirt tunnel. "Tell'em to pull that metal bar at the bottom' o the door I aint lock it." White Magic offers up as he attempts to sit up but Private Locket doesn't take her weight off White Magic’s hand. "Owwwww owwww ouch!" the young man shouts in protest dreads covering his face. Down the tunnel they hear the noise of the door being raised. "Come'on chick I wasn't gone hurt none y'all. I just don't wanna turn to one of the damn things." Locket steps back off White Magic's hand but keeps the gun leveled at his forehead." Ben comes through the crowd to get closer to the young man who seems to fade in and out of his street tough persona. "You've been bit fool there's nothing you can do to stop that now." He tells White Magic looking around. "What the hell is this place? Is this stuff edible?" Ben asks. "Man I was bit more day ago when this crap all started. My gran pa and his boys tired to throwin up a road block to prevent outsiders getting into town. I'm sure y'all done past it on the way in I hear it was a bloodbath. He came home that night and tore off on me and my gran ma as soon as the Sun set she aint makes it though. That‘s that shit y‘all done smelt upstairs my gran ma and grand pa! Them dead things they hate the smell of their kin rotting. It‘s like a signal that there‘s nuttin alive in here." Locket and Ben cast quick glances at one another. "Are you saying you survived through the night after you were bitten kid?" Ben rubs his chin feeling Bianca's eyes crawl up his back. In his mind he believes for a brief second he killed an innocent man when he and Chip had dispatched her husband Carl that first night after The Event.

    “Yeah I survived wasn’t nuttin but luck though dog I tell you.” White Magic pulls himself up off the floor slowly leaning his weight on one of the greenhouse tables. “Relax Whitey …” Locket scoffs never taking her eyes of their host. “Welcome to the U.S. headquarters of White Magic Holistic Pharmaceuticals.” He says waving his arms about as if he’s giving a tour. “I’m a freelance supplier of fine recreational and medical marijuana. I popped a few caps in my grans then I retreated down here after getting’ bit by my gran pa.” “How do you still have power down here? “ Private Medina asks softly from besides Anne James. “Oh we got solar panels on the roof of the house sweetheart. Plus there’s a wind turbine on the back of our property. Growin’ weed takes a shitload of power and if you wants to keep yo local power utility company from tricking you out to Johnny Law. You have to produce your own power. It didn’t take me long to convince my gran pa that it would save him money. Who knew I was actually prepping for the zombies apocalypse. “ He chuckles to himself just then heavy footsteps drum down the tunnel accompanied by huffing as Jamal and Private Carson come into view. “Hey close that damn door are you boys crazy!” White Magic screams retreating further back into his shelter. Locket keeps pace with him refusing to lower the Uzi she has aimed White Magic. “No!” Ben calls out “You tell me what you know and then I can rally my people to go get my kids.” White Magic looks pained as he paces the rear of the long room squeezing his heavily bandage right forearm. “Look Sir the truth is as simple as it is ugly.” White Magic begins to speak with no trace of an accent or broken English. His eyes dart about like a cornered animal brimming with fear. As a second thought he takes a long neatly rolled joint from an ashtray sitting on a small desk. The tiny small brown desk appears to be the kind an elementary school teacher would sit behind. It is covered with scales, small plastic baggies, a dusty laptop and two radios. The first was an ancient black box with a silver microphone literally straight out of RadioShack’s 1982 fall circular. The other radio was a ruggedized military styled hand held model. “Do you mind?!” Bianca shouts pulling a cover over baby Cammy who immediately starts fussing under the cover. “Oh sorry Ma’am force of habit I’m not used to company down here.” White Magic says tamping out the joint then flipping his dreads up over his head. “Uh… Sir the only reason I’m still alive is because of these ultraviolet light down here.” Everyone looks about the room noticing the huge floodlights two per yellow stand dotting the room every few feet. They appeared better suited for nighttime crime scene work than home use and were no doubt part of the reason the room was rather warm. “It seems that I learned this by mistake once I came down here. I dialed up some of my friends on my HAM radio here. Started telling everyone I could that if you get bit and survive get under some ultraviolet lights before nightfall.” He pats the black box like it’s a dog. “So my grandfather was bitten during the day and he survived until night so he became one of those smart one once the sun went down. According to what info I have learned from what’s left of the web and the chatter on the HAM radio. That means if I would have died while the sun was up the next day I would have returned as one of those rotters.” White Magic mimics quotations signs in the air before continuing. “You know the dumb zombies shuffling around out there now but if I had survived to until nightfall then I would have returned as one of those trotters.” He makes his satirical quotation marks once more. “You know one of the smart ones who run around tearing everything up all night and then go dull again when the sunrises the next day.”

    Subconsciously Ben looks for Chip in the room the way a person who hears news looks for a kindred spirit who can back them up. Ben kneads his sweaty palms together gritting his teeth this isn’t good news either. “Mr. James do you believe in God?” White Magic asks. Ben glances over at Anne who is sitting forward on the crate. “Yes I do why do you ask?” White Magic straightens up in his rusty metal folding chair. “I suggest you pray to God then sir. Beg him to help your kids to find somewhere safe and quite they can hold up until morning it’s their only chance. If you go up there now Mr. James you will bring hell down upon us. Those trotters will bear down on this house and your people the noise they create will draw rotters from every direction. Also by now any of the smart zombies you encountered today will be hot on your trail as soon as the sun sets. I have heard stories from the folks on my radio here. Hell last night I got to listen to one guy and his family get torn apart because they went to get the dog after it got out. A trotter zombie saw them and that was all it took.” White Magic swallows hard wiping his mouth looking down into the ashtray. “After ….. “he stops to compose himself. “After they finished the family off one of those abominations got on the radio. It started trying to get others to tell it where they were promising to make it easier on them. When no one took its offer the bastard sat there with the microphone open chewing on this guy who we’d just been talking to. All you heard was screams of agony followed by moans, laughter and chewing. I threw up over here by my chair and turned off the radio.” Every face stared at White Magic who suddenly looked spent. He stands slowly wobbling from the blow to his head holding the corner of the desk. Sara Locket doesn‘t back up staring intently she stands near the corner of White Magic’s desk. She is patiently waiting for the wounded man to make the wrong move. The barrel of the gun is less than six inches from White Magic‘s dreadlock covered head.

   “My real name is Humphrey Eugene Olmsted ladies and gentlemen and I offer you your two choices Mr. James.” He raises one finger sitting on the desks edge. “One shut that door before one of those things crawls in the house and sniffs us out. Pray for your children Mr. and Mrs. James. First thing in the morning I will help you go look for them.” The second option is less desirable wiggling two fingers. “You and your people go looking for your son and daughter. You get everyone killed and those of us left are almost defenseless against the trotters. So again it’s the two of them versus all of us you decide Mr. James.” Anne gasps aloud falling to the floor wailing out for her babies. Ben moves to her as fast as his feet will carry him to his wife’s side. This time the tears in her eyes match his. Locket steps back a few feet dropping the gun to her side sighing. She didn’t know if Mr. James still planned on going out but she did know that a suicide mission wasn’t on the radar for her tonight. She feels the James’ heartbreak as she attempts to suppress her own emotions. “Cl….” Her voice betrays her Private Locket turns to wipe her eyes discreetly she catches Private Carson staring at her his mouth hangs open like a flytrap. “Close’em…” she utters moving back up to the front of the bunker with her people. The squeaking of the outer wall latching only brings heightened screams from Anne. Carson and Jamal slide in the room pulling the rusty door shut on its aged hinges twisting the massive locking bolt into place. She doesn’t know if Carson is crying or not but it is clear Jamal had tears running freely down both cheeks.

 

 

 

    Well it seems like the new addition to our group of survivor Mr. White Magic has a boatload of useful information for the group. Before letting Ben run off after Chip and Belinda he explained to the survivors how he came to be injured and what might happen if they choose to attempt a rescue mission at night. The group now has a better idea of what they are dealing with when it comes to the new breed of zombies they face. The "Rotters and Trotters" as White Magic calls them operate by different rules. Now the real dilemma face the James Clan is finding out if Chip and Belinda can survive the night. This too is the real dilemma for you readers as well.

 

 

 

 

We will take our first break of 2013 so tune back in the week of March 10th for Chapter 26 and we can all find out what become of Chip and Belinda together.

 

 

 

 

 

Follow us on Twitter @TheLivingDark

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like our Facebook page www.Facebook.com/TheLivingDark

 

 

 

 

 

Sincerely:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Living Dark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 24: Foot Race

Chapter 24: Foot Race

   The survivors in their battered chariot speed down the road along side of the house. The first hitch in the engine Chip feels the steering get tight. "We're tapped Dad!” Chip screams as the van goes into a fuel less glide. "Shit." Ben shouts. "Pack it up everyone we're on foot." Locket dives into the vans rear grabbing her pack. "Chip grab the keys out the ignition and meet us around back.” Ben tells his son before retreating into the van's chaotic belly. "Mr. James should I stay here and help Chip get out the van?” Jamal asks. Ben sees his son has already flung the door open and deposited his wheelchair on the asphalt below. "No come with me." Jamal snags the rifle from between the seats and does as instructed. The occupants of the disabled van move about in a frenzied state. "Jamal grab some bags of supplies please and then pair up with Bianca help her and grab Dakota please." Jamal snatches up as many bags as he can and moves over to Bianca. At the same moment the vans rear doors fly open. Every gun snaps to in shock fearing the worse. "Come on all of you able bodied people." Chip shouts up from his chair Locket doesn’t realize she’s staring at Chip until it’s embarrassingly obvious. "B go with your big brother until we get down." Anne calls out to her baby girl. The sandy haired little girl gleefully jumps down off the bumper into her big brothers lap. Locket hits the ground rifle at the ready. "No sign of our pursuers yet Mr. James that won’t last for long. Pretty soon we are going to be knee deep in zombies.” Carson climbs down with his pack before lifting Medina back onto his shoulders effortlessly. Next Jamal hops down with Dakota in his arms he still turns to offer Bianca Fullerton a hand assisting her down. Ben crab walks down the rear of the van with Anne in his arms and Brandon hot on his tail. Ben leaps down and the van bounces as the husky mans weight is offloaded. "Brandon close the doors.” Ben tells his son to secure the van now they are all off and it's stripped of anything useful. The crowd gathered before Ben stands facing the house in the distance unmoving. "Move people..." He demands pushing to the front. He sees soft barren plowed farmland leading to the side of the white porch on the big farm house. There's no sidewalk or level surface Ben catches Carson’s none to subtle glance at Chip in his chair. "My God..." Ben mutters to himself Anne squeezes him tight around his neck.

　

   Chip rolls his chair through the gathered crowd. "For people with functioning legs you guys sure move slow.” He then looks across the half mile of overturned soft earth. "Dad ..." Ben cuts Chip off mid sentence. "Don't worry son don't worry we can." Ben spins about whacking Anne's injured foot hard on the stock of the rifle Jamal carries. "Dad!" The boy shouts his father down. "I'll take B wheel up the road and round that bend." He motions off in the distance to a bend in the road which curves behind a small red barn.” The protest from his family is immediate. "No son we don't split up…” Chip glances over his shoulder back the way they'd left the zombies. "We don't have time Dad plus you have mom to carry and Brandon. You guys just get moving and when you get there meet us at the front of the house and help get me up the porch.” Ben doesn't like the idea but he knows the boy is right. "Everyone run now get to the house." He orders the crowd of stagnate survivors. "Come on little man." Locket says smiling reaching for Brandon's hand. The boy looks to his parents "Go hurry Brandon." Anne tells her youngest son tears welling up in her eyes. The pair takes off sprinting behind the others. "Look son..." Ben starts to say but his words won't come. He has long blamed himself for his son’s condition and never has the weight been greater than today. Anne has her head buried in her husband chest. Ben shifts Anne in his arms tugging the pistol in his waistband free he hands it to Chip. His hand lingers rubbing the boy’s smooth cheek. "Me next." little Belinda giggles which Ben Sr. obliges. "Listen to your brother." His voice cracks and Ben turns away. "Dad go take care of mom you're slowing me down." Chip smiles pressing the gun down between his leg and chair opposite "The Lucky Mallet." He pirouettes the chair up on its two back wheels then vanishes behind the van.

　

    Ben repositions his wife and takes off trudging over the field trailing everyone else. Woefully out of shape but driven by fear and determination Ben huffs up the incline carrying his wife. By comparison the much younger Carson has already made it to the house lowering Medina down he takes up his weapon. Looking in the distance Carson is satisfied having seen none of the undead come into view from down the road. He tugs Medina around the corner with him as he goes disappearing from sight. After what feels like an eternity Ben makes it through the field. Ben’s old out of shape legs burning from being pressed into use after so long. They follow Brandon and his new buddy Private Locket. Ben slams heavily against the house sweat dancing down his neck and back. He drags his body along the house rounding the porch stealing a quick glance back. In the miles behind them the first zombies comes around the corner on unsteady legs. More walking corpses emerge from the thicket of trees they’d used for cover. Ben's heart smashes against his ribcage as he ducks out of view. He scans the road for Chip meaning to set his wife down and go get his children. He's dumbfounded Chip in his wheelchair and Belinda is nowhere to be found. "Dammit" He shouts moving to the cluster of people on the porch. "What Ben what?!" Anne cries aloud in his arms. "Nothing Chip is already around the bend." He says feeling the woman in his arms relax somewhat. Ben moves to the bottom of the stairs and begins to climb up. Carson supporting Medina's slumping mass pounds the door mercilessly. Ben can hear the door rattling in its frame from the boy’s heavy blows. "Come on open up if you're in here." He shouts scanning the area behind them. "Locket if nobody answers in the next sixty seconds I'm kicking it in." Carson says his gloved hands unleashing another set of blows. "Is any...." The door swings wide mid sentence the black barrel of an Uzi protrudes aimed between Carson's eyes.

    "Wooooooo hold on now." He throws his hand up in surrender. "Easy we're not hostiles." Locket says from her familiar kneeling stance having placed Brandon behind her with one arm. The figure of a lean young man emerges nervously from the dark shadows in the old farmhouse. Rocking a head full of blond dreadlocks wearing Rastafarian clothes and dark sun glasses has a smattering of freckles sprinkled on his pale cheeks. "What y'all doin outside man?" The young man asks nervously looking across the front of the property. "Get in y'all makin to much damn noise." Stepping aside he ushers everyone inside the building carelessly waving the machine pistol like a toy. Ben and Anne are the last in line waiting to see Chip and Belinda come up the driveway. "We have to wait Sir our son and daughter are coming he's in a wheelchair and couldn't make it across the field. So he took my daughter down the road and around the barn to make it to the front of your property." The white Rastafarian kid reeking of marijuana leans out the door looking to his left by the barn. "Mister they took that road?" He asks Benjamin pushing his mirrored sunglasses down but Anne answers. "Yes … Yes they did?" The apprehension returning to Anne’s voice Ben feels her grip on his neck tighten. He takes a second to allow his drug clouded mind to process the situation. "That road goes into a sub division at the bottom of a hill not my driveway."

 

 

 

 

 

   Our group of Survivors have made it to the farmhouse in advance of a stumbling horde of zombies. After much debate The last obstacle before they reach safety is a plowed field that Chip can't wheel his chair across. Chip convinces his parents to allow him and his little sister B to wheel up to the front of the house. The houses occupant comes to the door hearing all the racket only to inform the Anne and Ben James that the road Chip was on doesn't lead to the front of the house. The family is now separated one pair having seemingly disappeared into a sub division. The other is facing down the barrel of a gun from a nervous white Rasta kid. How does this all play out for our survivors come back the and see.

 

 

 

Next Chapter 25 the week of Febuary 17th!

 

 

 

 

 

Follow us on Twitter @TheLivingDark

 

 

 

 

Like us on Facebook www.Facebook.com/TheLivingDark

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sincerely:

 

 

 

 

 

The Living Dark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 23: Welcome to Clow Falls

Chapter 23: Welcome to Clow Falls

    "Holy smokes." Carson yelps as Ben turns back to his son he and Locket move to aid Medina. "Look son this is going to be tough on us all. So learn when to say when and rest when you can no one is going to think less of you ok?" Ben says softly Chip looks over at his dad briefly with crumbs clinging to his lips and the fine black hairs sprouting above his top lip. Ben is pushed back into his mind seeing the face of the toddler terrorizing the back of his television cabinet from his walker wheeling freely through the house. In spite of himself Ben reaches up and strokes Chips smooth cheek with the back of his first two fingers. Something simple that had always brought him joy and made his kids smile this time was no different. "Dad you said this was up to us to protect our family you said 'we'." Chip reminds his father. "I'm not going to let you carry me or this burden alone dad." Ben stands hunched over patting his son on the back. "I know you won't son." He stops almost forgetting Jamal. "How are you doing Jamal? I'm so sorry about you're parent’s son." Jamal smiles broadly back up at Benjamin James. "I'm fine sir and I'm sorry for what happened earlier." "No problem son it's ok ultimately you did the right thing." Ben moves back into the bay of the van where Locket and Carson gently hoist their unit mate up to a seated position. "Medina how are you feeling girl?” Locket quizzes snapping her fingers in front of the woozy girl’s face "Like shit." The girl croaks out as she attempts to reach up to her forehead. "Umm you might not want to do that." Carson cautions her. "Your forehead and the APC's windshield had a little fight and your forehead lost." He tells her jokingly. "Yeah Carson stitched you up Medina so you can take that nice scare up with him and his attorney." Locket jumps into the conversation. "Huh wha?" She speaks just above a whisper. "My head is killing me." Medina wheezes swooning even from a seated position they brace her up. "Ben hand me that blue bag over there quick.” Anne calls out startling her husband. Ben grabs the bag handing it to his wife who sets about rifling through the bag turning over pill bottle after pill bottle. "Got it!" She shouts holding a faded pill bottle up "Vicodin." She looks at Carson "catch." Anne tells the boy before tossing him the pill bottle followed quickly by a small plastic bottle of water. "Thank you Ma'am." He responds popping the top off he notices the faded name on the label "Benjamin James Jr." "Here take these Medina it will help." Carson holds the pills out and Medina with much effort cracks her mouth open slightly. Carson places the pills on her palate then brings the water to her lips. "Take your time Carlita." Locket delicately instructs the injured soldier in her charge. She tilts her head back agony is etched on her face as her fellow soldiers support Medina's head. The girl blinks her brown eyes looking out see those around her for the first time. "Where are we and who are they?" She asks attempting to turn to face Locket. "Well Medina I'm going to give you diet version of our current situation." Locket kneels in Medina face together full attention. "After you backed out we had to dispatch one of those talking zombie things because he was hitting on Carson and trying to get into the APC." Carson goes beet red from the neck up drawing in a breath to protest Locket stifles him with a raised finger. "We took care of you after that and slept in the APC for the night. Then we left the APC looking for another mode of transportation Carson carried you and your weapon. Shortly thereafter we came upon these fine folks driving in our general direction headed for a bridge loaded with zombies." She looks back at Benjamin James "They were kind enough to stop as we held the dead at bay." Locket turns back to Medina. "We climbed aboard they drove and we are in route to a small town named Clow something or other. Hopping this place isn't as dead as every place else got it?" Medina looks confused leaning over to face Carson. "You really get hit on by a zombie?" She asks dazed. "Um yeah sorta like that yeah." Carson continues to blush furiously.

　

     "Mr. James we are passing a sign welcoming us to Clow Falls and our fuel shortage is coming into play again." Jamal shouts back." Unlike their claustrophobic confines from earlier this road is wide open on both sides. The wheat having long since been harvested from the van's windshield the view was unimpeded for miles with the occasional thicket of trees dotting the landscape. "We have a problem dad." Chip reports to his father who is coming up from the back. "Jeez can we just catch one break today?" Ben mumbles to himself peering straight ahead he gets his answer in silent horror. They approach a barricade blocking the road. "So the answer to your question dad is no." Chips says aloud glancing down at the gas needle. They hear the familiar chime of the “low fuel” light sound off like a gong in the enclosed vehicle. Two large pieces of farm equipment block the road leaning against where the two come together nose to nose sits a very large piece of plywood. Spray painted on the clean plywood is an ominous message in hastily scrawled red letters. "Keep Out Clow Falls Safe Zone All Non Residents Will Be Shot On Sight!" The irony was not lost on Ben "Safe zone" he huffs in disgust. Then Chips halts the van's progress about fifty feet from a scene that had all the appearances of a traditional zombie massacre. Dried blood coats the road in huge maroon stains. Chunks of unidentifiable meant dot the roadway scattered into the mix are various gore caked guns mostly shotguns with a few hunting rifles sprinkled in. Tattered clothing and other assortments of humanity one would find after searching your average group of people. Ben's greatest concern is neither the stains nor the line of pickup trucks behind the massive farm equipment. It is the cause of the massacre zombies linger in the road shuffling about aimlessly. Some still one their knees fighting over the last remaining scraps of the poor souls they'd preyed up. "Jesus." Locket says her eyes cast down over the scene before them. "We've got to find a place to hunker down for the night. We can’t cruise the streets in this meat wagon ringing the dinner bell. I say we have two hours at best." Locket's comment is geared toward the impending sunset. "I say we have less time than that." Chip responds looking back to the attractive girl in the fatigues. His comment was aimed squarely at the dead who had finally taken notice of the idling white van. "Hold on back there and be ready to move gather everything up!" Ben hollers turning back to Chip. Ben taps Chips on the arm vigorously. "Over there son quick drive us into the gully.” Ben points down into the culvert running alongside the road. He was more focused on Chip navigating the gully than the zombies waving haplessly as they skidded past on the soft grass.

    Driving in a culvert while popularized by Hollywood was a dangerous proposition at best. "Don't mash the gas son you'll fishtail us." Chip isn't breathing as he answers "Yes Dad." "You can't stop either or we'll get stuck." Ben stares ahead. "Yes Dad" Chip replies as they pass the blockade the dead come pouring down from behind the huge tractors. Zombies tumble down the embankment into the gully perusing the van. "I counted maybe twenty or so when we were up top." Locket says holding onto Jamal's seat. "I'm guessing we are we now have between fifty or sixty hostiles Mr. James." She reports scanning the walls of the gully soon the dead ahead of them rain down on the van's roof. Each boom eliciting screams from behind them in the van. "What's you plan Mr. James." Locket asks attempting to get on the same page. "I'm done with plans Locket." He responds without looking at the soldier. "I'm more into consequences now. I don't have time to formulate a plan." Ben finishes up as the bombardment continues. He looks up to his left to see they are past the blockade and the rows of pickup trucks. The dead are quickly filling the culvert in front of them. "Son you need to take this gradual incline back up to the road.” Ben points off to his left up the slope and his son executes on his request immediately. The van using it’s momentum to take the incline mowing down zombies as it goes. Ben watches his son’s driving which is better than he ever thought he could have "handicapped” or not. If he'd known Chip would be the official driver of the zombie apocalypse Ben believes he would've spent more time teaching him. The van crests the incline bouncing heavily back onto the asphalt road. Ben scans the area of flat farmland. Locket hustles through the van to the rear door she grabs the shelf for support and cracks the door open. "Ok we're not done with this yet." She yells back up to the front watching the able bodied zombies in the distance pour around the blockade coming up from both sides of the gully. "They're not giving up that easy and there‘s more of them now." She slams the doors shut and scampers back to the front. Coming up Ben observes a dense thicket of trees to their left and a road running parallel to the tree line. "Turn here Chip we can use the tree line for cover." Ben searches the farmland looking for shelter but Jamal spots it first. "Look a house." Jamal points out the window. Several miles in the distance is a large old home more than likely the farmer who owns the land they've found themselves on. “A big old farm house in the middle of nowhere.” Jamal snorts “Why that’s not cliche at all for people running from zombies is it?” Locket’s mouth turns up at the corners into thin smile "Mr. James we are going to run pass the house and have to come up on it's driveway from the front.” Locket sizes up their prospects. "If we can get to that house and hide the van before the first zombies rounds that corner. Then we have an excellent chance of throwing them off our scent." "Agreed" Ben blurts as they race up next to the house the brilliant orange sun hangs low in the late day sky.

 

 

 

 

   Our survivors have made it to the outskirts of Clow Falls. Their first impressions so far haven't been good and they have picked up a welcoming party. To bad for them it's in the form of a horde of the undead and the vans fuel situation has come back into play. What's next for our survivors as they attempt to outrun the dead and the sunset?

 

 

 

 

Come back the week of February 10th for the next chapter of The Living Dark.

 

 

 

 

Follow us on Twitter @TheLivingDark

 

 

 

 

 

Sincerely:

 

 

 

 

www.facebook.com/TheLivingDark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 22: A Lonely Road

Chapter 22: A Lonely Road

　

    Ben jumps up heading to the front of the van Locket shoves past him from behind. He looks to out from Chip’s window coming up to the edge of the road is a thick dense overgrown cornfield. Ben peers to Jamal's side of the van but his view is blocked by the back of Private Locket's head. "Crap it's the same thing over here Mr. James." The late summer untended cornfields encroach the thin two lane road way on both sides. "Alright we need to do this quick and easy." Locket calls moving back into the van yanking the magazine from her rifle. "Carson you and I cover the back Mr. James you, your son and neighbor cover the rear. We keep the doors open, move fast and quite." She slaps the ammo clip back into the black M4 as Carson moves in kneeling besides her at the rear doors. "Hey ... hey "Ben scurries in behind Locket. “Locket this isn't a police state you don't order us around and we don't have to take orders from you." He says producing the pistol from his waistband. "Actually Mr. James I was simply taking the lead as we are the best trained to protect you in this situation." Locket informs Ben James of his oversight. "Also technically you do have to follow my orders if that was my desire. The day of The Event the President declared martial law which essentially puts the entire country under military jurisdiction." Ben James stares at the girl their eyes lock inadvertently he blinks first cursing himself under his breath. Ben retrieves the gas can and positions himself behind the two soldiers. "Jamal can you work that rifle?" Ben points through the cab at the gun propped on the wheelchair between the seats. Jamal grabs the gun clumsily pulling back the slid checking to see if a round has been chambered. "Yeah ... yeah I think I can." He responds his voice cracking slightly. Ben narrows his eyes "Either you can or you can't Jamal I need to know now." He snaps at the young man. "I… I can Mr. James." Jamal fumbles displaying a complete lack of confidence in his own abilities. "Mr. James what about your son this only works if we have a quadrant set up." Ben presses in close on Locket and Carson "My son can't walk or did you miss the wheelchair." He whispers harshly. "I'm sorry Mr. James." Locket replies. "Don't be sorry He's not." Ben tells the soldiers.

　

    Carson grips one door handle while Locket grabs the other. "Ready people?" Locket's breathing slows to a steady rhythm. Ben holds up a hand to Jamal who is looking back from the front. Locket slaps Carson across his back "Go." She says flatly as the both twist their handles in unison. Early afternoon sunlight floods the back of the van the trio steps cautiously from the James and Sons cargo van. The sound of the wind washing through the thick green cornfields is all that greets them on this eerily calm day. The breeze shakes the dry brittle corn stalks the sound like a rattle snake’s rattle but magnified a hundred fold. The events of the last two days have seemingly left this desolate stretch of road unscathed. Ben comes down behind the pair of soldiers who fan out before him. They use hand signals to communicate with each other then Locket ushers him to the side of the van. The fear that Ben had experienced as he'd walked to his Father in Laws front porch settles back into his gut. Ben feels like he's being watched by predators as if he's a field mouse running circles underneath a barn owl for exercise. He stabs his pistol into his waistband there's movement at the van's front. Ben assumes its Jamal taking up his point position. He moves with a purpose unscrewing the gas cap then driving the nozzle home tilting the can up feeling its life saving fuel start to drain into the empty tank. Carson turns staring past Benjamin James' he sees that a corpse has walked from the cornfield and stands swaying looking up at the sky. He kneels down quietly pulling his combat knife free standing to his full intimidating height Carson steps forward knife at the ready. The rustling of the wind against the corn has stopped Carson feels Locket's hand slip around his thick neck covering his mouth. His eyes meet hers in shock silently she purses her lips to quiet Carson. Locket cocks her head to the side sharply Carson's grey eyes follows her line of sight.

　

   Carson’s heart flutters each side of the road is suddenly lined with the undead swaying in place same as the corn once had. They moan softly looking skyward oblivious to the humans present. Carson nods choking on a lump embedded in his throat. Behind Benjamin James where one zombie stood now dozens stand lining the road. Locket releases Carson slowly pulling her hand free she makes a move for Ben. She takes one step then notices Ben glaring at her in terror his eyes wide. Ben shakes his head "no" closing the gas cap painfully slow so as to avoid making a sound. Ben cuts his eyes underneath his arm he notices the van's front door is closed. The gas cap sealed Ben James moves on feet weighted like cement blocks measuring every painful step. In the van he sees his entire family along with the Fullerton's pressed as far up into the van as they can go. He also notices Jamal is in the van as well which means he never got out to begin with. Carson and Locket back down to the open van bay their guns held high. Ben climbs in like a large toddler one big knee at a time. Each of the soldiers takes a door watching the dead sway in place. Carson swings his door shut causing Locket to flinch. Locket shivers as the zombies upturned heads drift down from the sky in unison Locket’s eyes meet those of a ragged female zombie. The two stand frozen in time the female zombie blinks her dirty orange vanilla sherbet tinted eyes. With a lurch the zombie moans and the others up and down the roadside act in sync as if they were following orders. Locket slams her door the time for stealth long since past as hundreds of zombies set upon the stalled van. Ben is already on the move scrambling to the van's front. "Jamal what the hell happened to you?!" he asks. "Mr. James I saw that zombie wander out onto the roadside. I couldn't signal without drawing its attention." He utters his sheepish pleading retort. Ben knows the young man is correct but right now they have bigger problems. "That wasn't the wind rustling through the corn dad." Chip says flatly staring out the window watching the horde advance. "I know son I know." Ben tells his son placing a reassuring hand on the boys arm. "Now turn the van over easy son." He says calmly not taking his eyes off the faces crowding the roadway ahead of them. "We can't let them box us in son or they'll flip us okay?" Chip nods his head slowly indicating his understanding. He cranks the key in the ignition listening to the engine choke then chug without turning over. Benjamin squeezes the boys arm to snap him out of his panic "Easy son don't flood it one more time please." The first blows connect with the van's white exterior. Like a hail storm the first few pelts soon give way to thundering blows battering the van from outside. The wails from the dead fill the air around them. Chip calmly turns the key in the ignition feeling the van's engine churn buck under the hood like an animal caught in a trap. He relaxes his grip on the key just after the engine catches roaring to life. Chip looks up to his burly father and smiles "Good work son now take it slow. The van moves cautiously at first bumping zombies tossing them backwards into the mass of their gathered kin. Ben notices the road thickening with undead as they pour from the cornfields materializing like fog on the once open road. “They are trying to pin us in using their sheer numbers.” Ben realizes “Punch it son…” He yells as the van is rocked violently for side to side. Once all four wheel catch on the pavement the van’s tires squeal gaining traction. “Aim for the clear spaces between clusters son.” Ben tells his boy who drives with more conviction than fear this time. The beating on the van’s side fades replaced by bumps as the dead are plowed under the van and crushed. The zombies begin to thin out and soon the road is clear except for the occasional wreck. They pass a green sign with white lettering along the side of the road it reads. “Clow Falls 60 miles, Population 502.”

　

　

    The van packed with weary survivors of what was now being called “The Event” motors down the two lane road. They are heading into the small town of Clow Falls. The morning has passed into late afternoon with no further bumps in the road Chip James is feeling weak from the exertion of the last few days. The lack of eating and sleeping coupled with the extremely physical nature of their new reality weighs on him. No matter how normal he felt, how normal he tried to act. Benjamin James Junior knew full well the bevy of medical ailments that came along with his partial paralysis. He knew he was pushing his body to the limit but he'd risk everything to see his father smile at him again. To protect his mother and siblings Chip pushed the functioning top half of his body to a new limit. "Jamal could you please get me something to drink and munch on." He asks his Iranian navigator who obliges immediately after seeing the sweat bead up on the boys forehead. Jamal weaves his way into the back of the van to the group seated about on the floor. "Excuse me Mrs. James can I please have something for Chip to eat and drink?” Anne's face changes as if a shadow has passed over it. "Is he alright Jamal?" She scoots back against the wall meaning to stand. The Senior James grabs her arm easing her back down to the floor. "Ben ... what?!" She shouts angrily. "Ben he's been going and going all day you know he can't do that." Benjamin James normally would allow his wife to have her say when it came to the kids. He knew when it came to being a mother Anne James skills were beyond reproach. Ben however took a fatherly approach he was keenly aware of his son's preconceived notions of what it meant to him to be a man. "Relax honey you're embarrassing him. He's doing this for you for me for all of us we need his confidence intact agreed?" Ben whispers discreetly in his wife's ear Anne recoils in anger "Benjamin do you think I give a damn about any of that?" Anne snaps back her voice not quite loud enough to be heard by everyone but definitely not a whisper. "I know you don't baby doll..." Ben leans into his wife making sure that not even the Brandon and Belinda sitting like bookends at her side can hear what he has to say. "...but he does honey." Anne relaxes a bit "deal Ben" she whispers furiously in his ear as they looks around the cabin becoming noticeably more uneasy. Anne stretches behind her husband reaching for a bag that she knows contains food. She produces a couple of granola bars and a bottle of water. "Here you go Jamal." Anne true to her character scans the faces all staring at her. "Anybody else hungry we don't have much but please feel free." She opens the bag like a mother at Halloween standing on the porch before a crowd of "trick or treaters." Now her caring nature Ben knew was useless to argue about with her. Jamal looks to Ben who nods his head then the young man quickly grabs a protein bar. Jamal rises and moves forward as Anne begins to distribute the food. "Benjamin James you make sure our son is healthy and that is not up for debate." She says just above a whisper. Ben rises from his wife's side then trails Jamal into the van's front. Ben is initially concerned upon seeing his son's face. He knows the boy is willing himself onward. "Hey son how are you feeling buddy.” Ben asks pressing his mass down between the seats. "I'm ok dad just tired I guess." The boy glances down at the food Jamal had given him. "Ah I see your problem Chip." Ben says with a big smile. "You can blame me I never taught you how to drive and eat. That was going to be our next lesson." He chuckles cracking open the bottle of water sitting in the cup holder. He hands it to his son before taking the bars he rips both wrappers off. By the time Ben looks back to his son the boy is crushing the plastic bottle tossing it aside. "Wooooo son slow down and we need to keep these bottles in case we get a chance to refill them." Ben turns back into the vans crowded belly. "Hey folks let's save these bottles in case we get a chance to refill them." He tells the oblivious group munching away in the back. "Hey Locket, Carson..." He calls to the soldiers. "Your friend is awake." Ben points to Private Carlita Medina on the floor she's looking up at the roof in a clear state of confusion blinking every now and then.

 

 

 

 

 

    Well our survivors are finding their encounters with the dead more and more unnerving. They are now coming to understand that the days of leisure they'd known hunkered down to be a thing of the past. What will the survivors of The Event find in the small town of Clow Falls? Will it be help, shelter, answers or just more zombies?

 

 

 

Comeback the week of February 3rd to find out for yourself.

 

 

 

 

Follow us on Twitter @TheLivingDark

 

 

 

 

"Like" us on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/TheLivingDark

 

 

 

 

Sincerely:

 

 

 

The Living Dark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 21: Mutual Disagreement

 

Chapter 21: Mutual Disagreement

    "Saved our lives..." Private Locket comes forward unhitching her pack with no fear. She closes in on Benjamin James in the cramped van bay. She shows no hesitation when rebuking Ben’s earlier statements. "You’re kidding right Mr. James? You were driving into an ambush and trailing every zombie in the state behind you.” She exaggerates the final part of her statement steadying herself as the van takes a corner at tad bit faster than it should have. "You had to slow to a crawl to navigate that bridge the zombies coming from the opposite end would have clogged your only escape route as the ones behind overtook your position." The much smaller young female soldier leans in closer to the husky carpenter. "I .... Me." She shouts "I cleared your path out of there by thinning out the dead advancing in on your van Sir. So please I think you have it confused I saved your lives Mr. James." She points her finger directly in Ben's face. Ben chuckles to himself "little lady I suggest you consider a few things before biting off more than you can chew. First this is my van and second if you'd like I can drop you and your people off back at bridge so you can get to your own vehicle." His words hang in the air as Locket has no response to counter his point. "That’s what I thought.” Ben says puffing his broad chest out he wanted no doubt as to who was in control of this group of survivors like it or leave it. "I tell you what I didn't catch is where's the rest of your people?" Ben watches the boy who'd first appeared to be a man because of his size behind the girl. Locket looks around condescendingly mocking the man first she checks over her right shoulder then her left. "Um they're right there Mr. James can't you see them?"

　

    Ben sighs glancing back at his wife seeing her in pain softens his stance. "Look Locket I can see them clearly and I am sorry for my momentarily lapse in judgment. I'm just trying to protect my wife and kids here so let's agree that back there on that bridge we all needed each other." He holds his hands palms up attempting to defuse the situation. "What about the bulk of your people? Are they dug in somewhere? Someplace we can go and be protected until this chaos is sorted out?” Locket pauses "The bulk of our unit is back at St. George's Hospital." Ben's eyes lit up instantly "Really can we go there?" "Yes you can but you're not going to like it Mr. James. There all dead Sir we're all that's left and we barely made it out." She looks Ben in the eye. "When the sun went down everybody that had a bite or a scratch no matter how small fell down to the ground dead." Locket slumps back against the wall defeated "That was the loudest silence I have ever heard. We had the ironic misfortune of guarding the outdoor morgue of all places." Her eyes were cast to a far off place Ben however knew what came next he and Chip had lived it. "When it broke it came like a deluge from everywhere the dead leapt up and began to devour anyone living with in reach." She attempts to tactfully swallow a lump in her throat. "I'll tell you what Mr. James." She coughs sitting forward looking at Carson who drops his gaze to the floor. "There were over a thousand soldiers at St. George's Hospital plus medical staff that we had escorted in. In less than fifteen minuets of pure hell all of them… all but the three of us are dead. We ran I won't lie like cowards we didn't stop until we plowed head first into that damn pile up back there." The rear of the van was silent except for her voice. Carson produces what's left of the first aid kit from the APC dropping his backpack next to Medina. He duck walks it over to Anne James. "Sir if you don't mind." He holds the kit up eyeing Anne's injured foot. The woman places a hand gently on her husband’s beefy arm. Ben reads his wife's soft blue eyes and relents. "Oh ok honey." Gingerly Benjamin hands his wife's foot to the young soldier who sets about examining it before he treats her. Locket continues on undeterred. "Good God if what happened at St. George’s is happening in the rest of the world.” She peers past Ben staring at all the children. "Well then we're ......... well I won't say what we are because there are children present."

　

   The van rattles on in an awkward silence putting more distance between the center of the city and the survivors. A chime from the vans dashboard cuts through the silence. "Dad the low fuel light just came on." Chip calls back Ben mumbles under his breath. Coming to the front he surveys the open rural area on the fringes of their one time home. He knew the area recalling the next town is about sixty miles away. "Ok people let's do this now while it's quiet." Ben opens a small cabinet decorated with "flammable" warning decals. Inside next to a few battered white cylinders of propane and acetylene gas he’s found what he is looking for. There is a well worn stained plastic red gas can that Ben yanks free. He swishes the pungent fuel in the can noticing it's about half full. "Dammit." He quips angered at his procrastination. He wishes he’d filled the gas can after he’d used it. This was his rule and had he followed it there would be more gas to cover their exodus. "It's about half full maybe ten gallons which puts us near the edge of Clow Falls running on fumes." Locket motions over at the mounted generator behind Anne and the kids. "How much gas is in there?” She asks pointing at the gas tank. "Probably less than a gallon ...." Ben answers thinking back to how long he'd run the generator the day after this all began. "I powered it up when to use when we were fortifying our house." A light went on in Ben's mind. "Would you guys happen to know why certain electrical things work and other ones don’t?” Locket turns to Carson who hunches his broad shoulders then goes back to tending to Anne's foot.

　

    "We were told that if an electrical device was running or plugged into an active power grid at the time of The Event. Then that device was fried and couldn't be repaired." Ben mulled over the girl's answer. "What was 'The Event' that you keep speaking about?" "The Event was a massive CME that bombarded the earth with unprecedented amounts of solar radiation and stellar debris." Locket tells everyone listening. "It caused a global catastrophe knocking out the power worldwide to anything that was operating at the time. Planes dropped from the sky, ships died in the middle of the ocean and you get the picture. The Event prompted a lot of folks to make the assertion that it was the end of days." Locket chuckles to herself. "After all is said and done looks like they were right huh?" Her question was clearly rhetorical. "What is a CME?” Bianca inquires from the corner. Before Locket could answer Carson fielded the question with his usual lack of maturity. "The Sun busted a galactic orgasm." He said briefly looking up painfully aware of what he'd just said in the presence of so many children. "Sorry ... sorry." Carson winces. Locket clears her throat "A CME is a Coronal Mass Ejection they told us what happened when they called us up for deployment. Two opposing magnetic fields come together on the surface of the sun and the resulting ejection of plasma matter erupts out into space. On average it takes about three days for one to reach Earth traveling on the solar jet stream. This particular CME blasted us in less than eighteen hours and that I know is still bathing us in solar radiation." Bianca stares around the van's cabin nervously. "I understood the radiation part which I know is bad. How is it affecting our health because bathing in radiation is not good?" Carson weighs back in with more tact "The Ozone layer of the atmosphere keeps us relatively safe but I wouldn't go to the beach to get a tan until it passes." Brandon shuffles over to his father the way little boys do and whispers in his ear without lowering his voice. "Daddy what's an or…ganas…um?" Ben glares up at Carson who drops his head down as if he hadn't heard the comment dutifully bandaging Anne's foot. He breathes in deeply in time enough to hear his wife snicker soon all the adults except Ben follow suit. While those about him are racked with laughter Ben looks pained. He really didn't want to explain the "Birds and the Bees" to his son at such an early age and he was now hoping it wouldn't be during the apocalypse either. The van's engine sputters then dies sending the van into a slow drift Chip guides them to the side of the road stopping completely then placing the van in park. "I hate to interrupt the fun but since we waited so long to tell me what to do the gas situation has become a little more urgent." Chip yells from the front end of the van. Panic washes over the faces of those huddled in the back of the cargo van any signs of laughter having long since vanished.
 

After some serious discussion cooler heads prevail. Our survivors have met up and come to terms with each others misgivings. Locket and Ben James have hashed out thier differences. The James Group had questions for the soldiers hoping to gain more knowledge about "The Event." They have gained some info about what happened the day the power went out. They also find out from Locket that the rest of the soldiers with Locket, Medina and Carson were all dead. Now after coming to terms with the apocalypse they have just run out of gas on a deserted strech of country road.



Comeback the week of January 27th for Chapter 22 of The Living Dark and find out what happens next.




Follow us on Twitter @TheLivingDark




Sincerly:





https://www.facebook.com/TheLivingDark

Chapter 2: Fact Check

Chapter 2: Fact Check

He heard voices somewhere close by. Ben floated in that confusing realm between sleep and consciousness. It was then that the previous day’s angst plows its way back into his mind. Benjamin's eyes pop open darting about back and forth. The house remained black and devoid of power. From above his bald sweat streaked head a ray of sunlight parted the curtains racing over his sleeping children before disappearing down the shadow filled hallway. Shifting slightly so as not to rouse his wife who slept soundly on his chest. Instinctively he counts his children for reassurance and takes comfort from feeling the heavy revolver under his right leg. Undulating slowly from his under wife Ben frees himself pausing to lightly kiss her forehead. Ben steps through the minefield of sleeping children watching for stray fingers and tiny toes.

He felt as if he had fur growing on his body still sporting the clothes he'd sweat through the previous day in. Once at the door revolver in hand he pulls wine colored skirt from the small window. He could see three figures in the middle of their dead end street. Ben kneads the gun he clutches in his right hand. Unaware of his hesitation Ben realizes he's holding his breathe in an attempt to go unnoticed as he surveys the trio. The men are conversing amongst themselves it was then he shook the cob webs of sleep from his head. They were his neighbors and suddenly Ben was subtly aware of a deep seeded rampant paranoia taking hold of his psyche. Everything had kept him on edge as if he were waiting for the other cosmic shoe to drop. Since the power had gone out he had been dismissive of his children and negligent of his wife. Silently he opens the door which moves on its well oiled hinges. Once on the front porch he trots down the steps and into the driveway. He was now in full view of the group.

Ben discreetly tucks his weapon in the small of his ample back before flipping his baggy shirt over the silver pistol to cover it. Shouts a tall lean blond athletically built man walking his way. He's wearing workout attire. Ben knows his neighbor and friend Carl Fullerton had spent the morning undoubtedly hitting some type of exercise regime hard power or not. The guy was a fitness fanatic and it showed as he looks no part of forty five. "Good to see you buddy! How are Anne and the kids?" He asks extending his hand to Ben as the two men met. They greet one another with a fierce handshake. Ben notices the shorter man over Carl's shoulder. Although Napoleon Archer was Ben's longest serving neighbor the two men and their families shared a sterile suburban relationship. Ben had long told Anne that while he felt "Nate was a good guy. Who had no qualms with my being African American. His feelings on interracial marriage may not be as progressive." "Family is fine Carl and yours?" Smiling back at his buddy "Bianca and the girls are fine... fine.... fine." Carl shouts gleefully the men turn back to the others. "Good Morning Nate." Ben nods to Napoleon who returns the gesture sheepishly. Ben breaks into a wide genuine smile “Mohammed good morning Sir.” He was speaking to their neighbor from the other side of the street who was a polite white haired diminutive Iranian immigrant. "Good Morning my friend Benjamin. How are you this fine day!?" The small man gives Benjamin James a brisk warm handshake. "Mohammed how is this a fine day?" He chuckles "We have been without power for over a day now." The small man walks over to his neighbor clapping his hands together. Leaning forward he places a tiny hand palm down on Ben's wide chest. "My friend I was twenty two years old before I slept in a house with electricity. Man has survived centuries without the benefit of electric power and yet we can't go a day?!" The man rears back with laughter soon he is joined by the other men gathered in the street. "Speaking of which has anyone heard anything about when we can expect power to be restored?"

Ben scans the men's faces in the haphazard circle. Carl looks about mockingly confused "Uh Ben ole buddy old pal!” Slapping his friend's back "Dude this is so bigger than EdCon. We got blasted by a stellar tidal wave of solar flares pal they overloaded everything everywhere." Ben however is genuinely taken aback "what!" He exclaims shaking his head while pressing his rough hands to his temples. "Yeah" it was Nate's turn to weigh in. “I had been keeping up with the news via the web. The Internet however kept going in and out but then my laptop’s battery died. Globally those solar flares damn near knocked us back to the Stone Age. There's limited information flowing out through the mainstream media. Now the web is ablaze with reports of rioting around the world. Even though the U.S. government is mustering plans to alleviate some of the inconvenience. It's going to take time to get things back to normal." Ben was trying to hold his anxiety in check but his nerves felt like a million burning fuses. "Shit!" Was as good as he could muster when presented with the overwhelming news he'd been dealt. "Yes my friend it is true." Mohammed interjected." My son Jamal he calls me last night from school to tell me he was OK. He says there is fighting total chaos around UCLA." He stops suddenly the others can see the emotions washing over the kindly father. Ben places a reassuring hand on Mohammed's back as the man stammers. "It is just ..... that.... he is my only child... my world." "Mohammed… Jamal is a smart resourceful young man." Carl breaks in "you guys raised him well he'll be ok." Carl prods bobbing his head urging his neighbors to join in. A chorus of awkward "of courses" rises up on the quite sunny dead end street.

All the while Ben consoles Mohammed he eyes his home. Knowing full well he would rather tear his heart out than switch places with Mohammed Al. "Soooooo." Napoleon blurts "what's the plan? Who wants to run to the store with me?" Carl raises his hand "me! We need some more non perishables." "Not I…” Mohammed speaks after regaining his composure "thank you my friends." Ben James is lost in thought he was unaware that the group was staring at him. "Ummm no… no… not me guys!" He fumbles "I think we can make it through a few weeks or so. We'll be fine on that front." Ben turns his back on the men sizing up his house mentally taking notes. "Ben are you alright my friend." Mohammed calls aloud to a distracted Benjamin. "Yeah… I'm cool. Look guys be careful when you go out. Maybe we should consider battening down the hatchets and watching out for each others houses." The men look about confused "why?!" Nate blurts hunching his shoulder as birds chirp in the distance. "Because …” Ben begins “we are stronger together than we are alone. We can pool our resources." Pointing in the distance "We can barricade the entrance to the street with cars. It's the only way in as we're surrounded by gates behind and around us one way in one way out. Then we..." "Wooooow woooow woo!" Carl interjects. "What are we talking here the end of the world?! Slow down Ben lets take baby steps here!"

An exasperated Benjamin James rubs his smooth chin while frustration clouds his mind. "Guys no one knows for certain exactly what the hell is going on? I'm just saying we can fortify our houses or maybe just one of them and have everyone hold up there. Remember the three little pigs?" He chuckles as Nate gives off a disbelieving snort. "I do not understand my friends." Mohammed offers up. Carl strolls up to Mohammed placing an arm around his shoulders. "It's a fairy tale Mo'!" He affectionately tells the Americanized immigrant. "Ben is having a laugh at our expense he's not serious my friend."

Ben is going through a mental check list in his head. Recapping the supplies he had brought home from his job site. He had extra water, snacks and building supplies. It was time he plotted if he was going to secure the house he was burning daylight. "Guys be safe if you go out alright? Let me know if you guys want to come over. I have to go I got work to do." The tired construction worker peers back at his house. His wife was now standing in the doorway a look of concern gracing her beautiful face. He turns about to his neighbors "Mohammed…” He spoke to the man wrapped in Carl's used car salesman's embrace. "You know a tiny bit about the Bible right?!" The burly black man states stepping back from the two men. "Yes... yes that is correct my friend Benjamin." Mohammed responds. "Remember this then they laughed at Noah too when he told them he was building the Ark." His words are still filtering into the men's sub consciousness. Even as he jogs back towards his home stripping the shirt from his thick chest. Benjamin James was on the clock and in his element now.

In the latest chapter of The Living Dark Ben awakes to find his immediate neighbors gathered on their dead end street. The group of me break the news to Ben James that the power outage is going to get better anytime soon. As a matter of fact they inform him that due to solar flares. The power is down across the globe and civil unrest is breaking out all over. Carl Fullerton Ben's close friend,  Napoleon Archer who is uneasy around Ben but not because he's black and Mohammed Al a kind older Iranian immigrant. Are all making preparations for the long haul with no signs of power restoration anytime soon. Ben suggest they fortify one of their homes and pool their resources.
Come back the week of August 13th to see if anyone takes Ben up on his offer.


Sincerly



https://www.facebook.com/TheLivingDark

Chapter 20: Come Together

Chapter 20: Come Together

 

   Chip drives his father’s white paneled cargo work van containing his family and neighbors blindly through tears heading in the general direction of the highway at his father's request. His mother's gut wrenching wails of heartbreak at the loss of her parents have slowly subsided. Now from the rear of the van he hears the soft clogged nose sniffles of his younger two siblings. Jamal Mohammed sits to his right silently scanning the road from the passenger seat. The van rounds the corner of an indiscriminate suburban block guided by the wheelchair bound teen. He is vaguely aware of the devastation that greets him no matter which direction he turns his head. He hasn't seen any of the fast infected since last night when their neighbor Nate had attacked their house. Thus far today the boy believes this is the only good thing to have happened all day. There were zombies milling about moaning at the sight of the streaking van. He observes the same reaction every time. First the dead moan as if to signal each other that fresh human meat is present. Then they lurch into action feebly attempting to catch the van and its occupants. "Chip ahead of us is the bridge we need to cross over to get out of town.” Jamal says softly from his navigators perch. "How does it look guys?" Benjamin James calls from behind them still cradling his wife. "Not bad Mr. James the bridge has some abandoned cars on it, but we can maneuver around them if we take it slow." Jamal replies craning in his seat to get a better view of the surrounding area. "The highway is packed and impassable." Chip mutters keeping his eyes on the wreck strewn streets. "Do we see any?” Ben hesitates as suddenly. Things aren't as jovial as they were when his family initially had left their house they were detached from all the worlds suffering. "....any of them about." He finishes his thought set in the belief that maybe if he doesn’t mention them the zombies would simply cease to exist. The closer they drive to the freeway's entrance the easier it is to see the carnage. "Yeah dad the freeway is one mass of tangled vehicles." Chip tells his father as Jamal unbuckles his seat belt. He gets up on one knee in his seat taking care to avoid bumping Chip’s wheelchair and the rifle Anne’s father had given Ben both of which are propped between the two seats. "It looks as though we can also determine what has become of the passengers of said mangled cars." Jamal chimes in staring in disbelief at the moving mass of corpses on the freeway below. "They look like marauding ants marching about with no orders." He says in shock. "Best to do this as quickly and quietly as possible Chip would you agree?" Jamal asks taking his seat his hands shaking as he fastens his seat belt. Chip James nods his silent agreement.

    Jamal unlike the James and Fullerton families had seen the undead up close and personal in the days after "The Event." On his way home from Southern California with his dorm mate John. Watching zombies tear into someone from a distance left you removed from the trauma. He unlike them had been close enough to hear the sounds a human made when the life was stripped from their throats. While his body was hidden his ears were left open and exposed to the gut wrenching sounds. Chip begins to decelerate closing in on the bridge he aims the bulky van for the center of a four car pile up. To his left and right he watches the dead draw a bead on the white van as if it has a dinner bell attached to its front. The dead swarm after them like children moving with glee for an ice cream truck on a hot summer’s day. Chip's heart pounds its way up from his chest lodging in his throat to his right he listens to Jamal mumbling a prayer. Raking his tongue across his lips Ben junior decides to do the same. As the van inches its way though the narrow opening Chip notices the tops of heads bobbing up and down. The first dead have made their way up the embankment on the far end of the bridge. Chip drives past the point of no return realizing he can't possibly back the van up through the opening with his lack of driving skills.

    Chip catches movement alongside the van from his window. Cutting his eyes to the left his first thought is that there's a zombie keeping pace with the creeping van. Turning further to investigate the body he sees what turns out to be a young African American girl dressed in military fatigues carrying a large rifle. The young woman is wearing gore covered fatigues with a large pack on her back. She's desperately attempting to get his attention waving her hand briskly in front of her face and the pointing forward with her whole hand like she's mimicking a shark’s fin. "Uh daaaaad." Chip calls out in alarm. "There’s a soldier walking besides the van carrying a huge gun wearing a bloody uniform." The boy squirms in his seat hearing his father leap up in the vans claustrophobic rear. "There is one on my side too and he's carrying another soldier I think." Jamal blurts out as the soldier on his side with a fresh bandaged splint covering the bridge of his nose moves in to pound the window with the back of his fist. "Let us in now!" The big man with the other soldier on his shoulders shouts leaning so close his breath condenses on the dirty glass. Ben comes into the picture from the back pressing his bulk over Chips back. "Dad." Chip protests swerving gradually to his left. "What are they doing?" Ben demands glancing nervously to his left and back over to the right in an effort to take in the scene. "Mr. James should we let them in the van? So you know there are a lot zombies walking up from the opposite end of the bridge headed this way.” Jamal begins to move his hand for the lock on the door. "No." Ben cries freezing Jamal's hand in midair. Gunfire erupts from the female soldier on the Chips side as she engages the dead alone. The girl drops to one knee measuring her shots methodically. She takes on the advancing corpses before them each round she’s fired so far is a clean head shot dropping one of the scattered zombies in stride. "Get to the back." Ben pounds the window over Jamal's head stabbing a meaty finger in the air as if the soldier couldn't tell where the back of the van happened to be. The sound of the gunshots instantly brings screams of terror from baby Cammy nestled in Bianca’s arms. Anne who is still copping with the weight of losing her parents in such a horrific manner does not hesitate to motion for Bianca and her children. Bianca Fullerton scrambles over to the cluster of James' against the vans wall dragging Dakota roughly as she goes. "Stop the van junior." Ben bounds past the women and children hunched over in the vans rear to the back doors. Without pausing he throws the doors wide bringing his pistol to the ready. However the sight that greets him he is in no way prepared for.

    It seems as though every shambling zombie they had past by this morning tracked the dingy white van like literal bloodhounds as it drove. The dead were a mass reminiscent of the crowd one sees when looking from the stage back over hundreds of concert goers and their numbers grew by the minute. The horde of living dead was so massive that it generated enough noise to attract aimless zombies from blocks away. The first ragged corpse was no more than ten to twenty feet back of the van with stragglers scattered about in advance of the main herd of flesh seekers. "Dear God." Ben chokes on his words the pistol in his hand dropping silently to his side. From his left the large soldier with his comrade draped over his shoulders appears. He is less focused on the dead and more concerned with quickly relieving himself of the weight on his shoulder. "Pull her in” the he orders laying a young Hispanic looking girl with a nasty head wound at Ben’s feet. Ben James grabs the girl by her uniform straps then drags her further into the vans belly. In that time the boy with the name "Carson" emblazoned on his military fatigues has unhooked a black rifle. With a flick of his thumb he disarms the weapon’s safety taking two long steps over to the side where the girl was steadily firing her gun. "Locket we gotta go let's go!" He screams around the corner getting no response. Ben stares at the boy seeing the fear in his grey eyes over the nose splint. Ben's mouth feels dirty as he prepares to speak. He wonders briefly if his kids can see the fear in his eyes. "Hey get your friend this is a pick up not a delivery we’re leaving.” Ben checks the girl lying unconscious at his feet for bite marks or other suspicious wounds. "Damn." The soldier boy peeks around the corner then back out the advancing crowd of zombies. "Just wait sir please." Carson props his black assault rifle on his shoulder. He pours an entire clip into the zombies coming for the exposed rear of the van. Aiming high Carson increases his head shot count zombies topple back slowing their ever advancing kin. Dropping the gun to his side he flips a second identical gun up holding up his index finger to Ben pleading for a few more seconds. Carson closes the distance between himself and Locket with two great strides. He doesn't give a second thought to grabbing the focused young woman from behind in all the chaos. Carson had done his stint in basic training with Locket and he'd seen her get like this once before. She and their squad leader were competing for bragging rights and Locket had tunnel vision. She didn't snap back to normal until her last spent shell clattered about on the concrete floor at the shooting range. Carson is stunned by the sheer number of dead converging on the van. The slightest noise something heard thousands of times a day magnified by the sounds of daily life and all it took was the sound of one car engine to draw the attention of hundreds of zombies. He snatches her up in one quick motion "Locket it's me whatever you do don't stop shooting." There was more room separating the dead from the front of the van than behind it. Carson spins about bringing Locket's attention to the greater threat with her held in a tight bear hug. Locket steadies her sights on the dead as best she can while begin jostled in Carson‘s embrace. Her shots are far less accurate with this volley. She hit’s more limbs and body trunks which the dead simply shrug off continuing their advance. "Holy shit when exactly were you planning on telling me we were being flanked?” Locket stammers as they round the van. Carson simply rolls eyes in annoyance he doesn't look back as he heaves Locket into the open bay. The first hand grabs his pack from behind tugging him backwards.

 

    On instinct Carson lashes out blindly with a wicked elbow. He feels something wet crunch against his elbow then the sound of something heavy and meaty dropping to the pavement. Locket is up grabbing Carson along with Ben yanking him forward. She jabs her sidearm out over Carson's shoulder preparing to pull the trigger inches from her team mate’s ear. Locket presses the barrel to the forehead of a zombie bearing its rotten splintered teeth like a snake ready to strike. She squeezes the trigger then dispatches another six zombies before Cody Carson gets his balance. Private Carson flexing his long legs lunges into the van tackling both his rescuers driving them to the floor. "Go boy." Ben screams to in terror to his son as the dead mount the rear bumper ready to follow them into the vehicle through the opened doors. With no regards for his earlier trepidation Chip presses the gas pedal to the floor with as much strength as his stringy feeble legs can muster. The cargo van fishtails forward slinging the dead off en mass. They clip two burnt metal car husks with the back bumper. Speeding forward the panicked boy slams headlong into a female zombie tossing her twisted form up and over the wildly careering van. Chip swerves to avoid a dense pack of zombies at the end of the bridge. Trying desperately to compensate for his quick turn he slams the vans right front into the back of an overturned school bus. Tools and other assorted materials fly from the shelves in the rear of the van pelting those huddled helplessly on the floor the van picks up speed rocketing forward down an almost deserted frontage road.

    
      Chip is griped with such deep seeded fear he doesn't hear the screams of pain behind him. One of the van flailing doors claps shuts while its companion continues to swing back and forth. Before them the road on the other side leading to the bridge is clear except for the dead flocking to it in droves. Chip is driving faster than he'd ever dare in the course of a normal life "handicapped" or otherwise. "Slow down some Chip." Jamal snaps his fingers from the passenger seat attempting in vain to get the boys attention. Anne moans in agony to Ben’s right he tosses the muscular soldier off his chest in one quick motion. Coming to his wife's side "Honey what's wrong baby?" Anne rolls off her children having shielded their two youngest with her body when tools began raining down on top of them. "My foot … my foot ... my foot." She wails in pain. Rolling over sitting against the wall she cradles her injured left foot. The brown skinned female soldier rights herself before she fearlessly leans out the back of the speeding van. With one hand clasped around a shelf in the back of the cargo van Locket reaches out snagging the wayward open door pulling it closed. Anne places a hand to her mouth stifling a scream before speaking to her husband. "Something big hit my foot and it hurts like hell.” Ben scans the floor of the van as they hit a pothole causing everyone to duck and cover on instinct. "Chip slow down son and watch where you're going we can't afford another crash." Ben yells over his shoulder gently holding his wife's foot he slips her shoe off after untying it. Flecks of blood stain the outside of her sock which he then rolls down and off revealing a thin cut on the top of Anne's small foot. The entire top of her foot is a beet red bruise and shows signs of swelling. Sitting next to Anne is their overly concerned youngest son Brandon resting his hand on a rusted length of pipe. The offending item essentially a collection of joints he'd cut from a customer house months ago during a basement reconstruction weighing twenty pounds easily. "It's busted pretty bad honey." He tells his wife as she grimaces through gritted teeth. "Would you guys happen to have a first aid kit I can use?" Benjamin James speaks to the soldiers huddled panting out of breath over their comrade. Private Sara Locket looks up perplexed furrowing her brow. "Well hello to you too Sir.” She says curtly. "I'm Private Sara Locket United States Army and this is Private Cody Carson." Pointing to the girl lying sprawled on the floor. "This young lady here is Private Carlita Medina. If you cared to ask us who we were before telling us you needed something." "I'm sorry please forgive me where are my manners.” Ben starts to speak moving to the middle of the packed van's belly. "My name is Benjamin James and this is my wife Anne and our children Belinda, Brandon and the young man driving is Ben Jr. Sitting in the Corner is Bianca Fullerton, her infant daughter Cammy and Dakota her oldest daughter.” The child buries herself deeper into her mom’s side after hearing her name. “Up front next to my son is Jamal Mohammed he's the son of our neighbors." Suddenly Ben's mood darkens considerably his face becoming a more serious mask of anger. "And wasn't aware that I needed to make a formal introduction or cow down to someones whose life I'd just saved before I dared to ask them for a simple favor." He slams his fist into his calloused palm in anger.

 

 

 

 

 Well another week in the undead world of The Living Dark has come and gone. Our two groups of survivors have finally "Come Together." It doesn't however appear that all is going as smooth as was expected. Temper are flaring as toes are inadvertently stepped on. Come back the week of January 20th to see if the James group and the soldiers can put aside their differences.



Follow us on Twitter - @TheLivingDark




Sincerely:


 

https://www.facebook.com/TheLivingDark