Dead of Knight: A Zombie Apocalypse Survival Tale (12 page)

“Point taken.  You’re right.  I’m sorry.”

“Karen, I promise, when it’s right to take you or Lois or Sam, I will.”

“I want to help,” said Tabitha.

“Me, too.  I want to help, Dad,” Mal added.

“I know you guys want to help.  And you both have been big helps.  But, I need you here to help your mom, and grandma and Ms. Lois.  When it’s time, I’ll take you out.  I promise.”

With everyone’s help, emptying the Land Cruiser only took about 20 minutes.  It looked like more stuff when we were loading it.  The winter clothes were all put in a central location so that anyone who needed something warm knew where to find it.

One stove was put in the kitchen along with about half the fuel.  Another pile was started for the Picklers to take next door when they moved.  It would accumulate some of every type of supplies in the next hour or so.  The rest of the items were put in piles with like items.  So, all the flashlights went together, all the batteries went together, all the knives went together, and so forth. 

Each person, including Mal got a back pack.  I had picked a small one for Mal and a slightly larger one for Tabby.  Then the rest of the supplies were handed out.  Everyone got a flashlight and extra batteries for it.  Each adult got a tomahawk and a long bladed k-bar type knife.  The knife was to be worn at all times.  Period.  Even in the house.

“In fact, go ahead and put it on now,” I instructed.

“Dad, did you get one for me?” asked Tab.

“Yeah, what about me?” said Mal.

“Tabby, understand it’s not a toy.  It’s only for emergencies.  Understand?”

“I do, Dad.  I just want to help.”

“I know,” I said.  Then I turned to Mal.  “Look, buddy.  Answer this…  When do you draw your knife?”

“Only if you or mom tells me I can.  Or, when I have to kill a zombie.”

I couldn’t help but smile.  That was exactly the answer I was looking for.  Sam saw me smiling and looked unhappy.  But, she knew what I was going to do.

“That’s exactly right,” I said as I handed him the knife and helped him put it on his belt.  “And, you know what will happen if I see you playing with it?”

“You’ll take it.”

“You got it.”

I made sure everyone knew that they were to have their tomahawks on them when they were outside the house.  No exceptions.  Next, everyone got a Lifestraw water filter for their packs.  And, while I was thinking about it, I grabbed three bottles of water for each person.  Then, each person got a first aid kit for their pack.  I even gave one to Mal.  If we ever needed it, it would be in his pack.

Next it was time for the crossbows.  I had never used one, but Mike Jr had on several hunting trips, so he led the class.  It also helped him to feel like he was helping.  Although, I was sure he’d get a big dose of helping tomorrow.  We fetched a trash bag full of clothes that had been destined for Goodwill and put it at the end of the hallway.  After a demonstration, each person had to put 3 bolts in the bag at a distance of about 20 feet.  I even let Mal shoot a few.  I figured it was better that he know how to do it than not know.  It might save a life one day.  The crossbows were quiet and relatively easy to shoot.  But, they took a long time to reload.  Dreadfully long.  And it took a fair amount of strength.  Everyone, except for Mal got a crossbow and a quiver of bolts.  But, I hoped that neither Lois, Sam nor Tabby, for that matter, would ever have to reload it.

I felt qualified to teach the gun safety class.  As a handgun owner who also has children I knew the importance of being safe with firearms more than some.  The Glock is about the easiest handgun in the world to shoot.  But, the downside was that it was always ready to fire.  For someone unfamiliar with the workings, that could be an issue.  I left the ammo in the boxes and showed everyone how to use the Glock safely.  Then they had to demonstrate how to check to see if it was loaded, load it and unload it safely individually.   We repeated it until I was 100% satisfied that each person could handle the gun in a safe manner.  Michael and Mike Jr got Glock 17’s and Lois, Sam and Karen got Glock 19’s which fit better in their hands.  Neither Sam nor I were comfortable with giving Tabby a handgun, but she sat in on the training as did Mal.  It was important that they knew how to use one in an emergency.  An emergency that I hoped would never happen.  I got out the ammo and we loaded the magazines.  We had 2 magazines per gun for most of the guns.  A few of the newer generation Glocks came with three.  The G17 mags held 17 rounds and the G19’s held 15.  So, each person had over 30 rounds for their handgun on them.  Then everyone got an extra box of ammo to put in their back packs.

“Same thing as the knives, this handgun will be with you at all times, even in the house.  So, get a holster you like and a magazine carrier.  Go ahead and strap them on now.  That way it’s done.”

The AR-15 training took a little less time since we had already covered the basics of gun safety.  Each person had to be able to demonstrate how to load and reload the weapon.  It wasn’t too different from loading and reloading the Glock.  Some of the terminology was different:  Charging handle instead of slide and so forth.  It went well.  Each person also had to demonstrate how to make it safe and unload it.  Even Tabby did a good job.  I had the special AR with the pink camo for her.  She was very excited but her mother had a good point.

“Why don’t we wait to give it to her until we get a chance to actually shoot it and make sure she can handle it,” said Samantha.  Tabby didn’t like it but she agreed it was a good idea.

Finally, we loaded the AR mags.  Everyone had four magazines, one in the gun and three spares.  That gave each person 120 rounds total.  The extra weapons and ammo went in the hall closet for easy access.

I managed to have just a little bit of time to play with my kids before everyone crashed for the night.  This new world was going to be a dawn to dusk type of place.  Like the farmers of the world before we were now getting up with or before the sun and getting to bed right after sundown.  And we definitely needed an early start in the morning.  Sunrise was at 7:23am.

Saturday, December 20, 2014

The wind up alarm clock that I kept on my nightstand went off at 6:30am.  I smacked it on top to get it to turn off.  No need to wake Sam up, she wasn’t going out with us.  I really wished I could take a hot shower.   Before the end of the world, I enjoyed a hot shower, hanging out in there until I was pruned up good.  In the morning, right before bed; didn’t matter.  I loved a hot shower.  And coffee.  Mmmm, with sugar and cream, coffee was a good way to start the day.  I wish I had a hot shower and coffee to start this day.

As I stretched and stood up, one of those wishes seemed to come true.  I could smell coffee.  I made my way down the stairs to the kitchen to find Michael, also in his pajamas.  Michael had an old timey percolator on one of the burners of the new stove.  He looked up as I came into the room.

“I bought it at a yard sale,” Michael said.  “Figured it would be a fun way to make coffee while we were on the camping trip.”

“Well, as long as we have coffee and some sugar, maybe some powdered creamer, your percolator might be the most important piece of survival equipment we have.”

Michael poured a cup for me and one for himself.  Mike Jr came in and declined coffee, opting for a water bottle instead.

“I think I made enough for each of us to have a second cup then,” said Michael.

“No, thanks,” I said.  “I’ll make one up for Sam though, if that’s okay.”

“Of course.  We still want to be gone at 7:15?

”Yeah, I’m gonna go get geared up now.”  With that, I headed back upstairs with two mugs of coffee.  Sam was awake, having thought she’d been dreaming about coffee.  She was very appreciative.

I got dressed in what would become my everyday clothes for the winter.  I donned cargo pants with a thermal top.  Over the top came a long sleeve, button down shirt and a fleece vest over that.  If need be I could add a jacket.  On my feet were my normal shoes, Nike First Responders.  Khaki colored high tops; they were the most comfortable shoes I’d ever worn.  And as a walking tour guide on my feet every day, I needed good shoes.

Now with the end of the world, I added a lot to the wardrobe.  First, the Glock 19 got strapped to my hip along with 2 extra mags.  I had bought an extra magazine when I bought the gun.  That gave me 45 rounds for the handgun.  Next, the k-bar knife got strapped right behind the Glock.  My tomahawk went on the left hip.  Then I put AR mags in my vest pockets.  I wished that I had some sort of tactical vest to hold all this instead of using my pockets.  The AR itself went over my head and shoulder and hung down across my chest.  The back pack came next, the thought being that I wouldn’t take the AR off.  Next, came the crossbow on a shoulder strap over one shoulder, the quiver stuffed down into the back pack.  It was all finished with a baseball cap.

“I don’t want you guys to worry about cleaning the Thompsons, even if you think you can do it safely.   Just stay here.”

“Ryan, I think on days you’re gone I just want to stay with the kids anyway.  This craziness is hard on them and I want their lives to be normal.  Well, as normal as possible anyway.”

“You’re right, as usual.  After we get the bus, the plan is to go straight to the Costco and clear it out.”

“I wish we had a way that we could communicate,” said Sam.

“I’ll see if they have some walkie-talkies.  It won’t help for today but it’ll be nice for the future.  I don’t know how we’ll charge them.  Although if they run on batteries…  I’ll look.”

“Be safe.”

“You too, Sam.  I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Michael and Mike Jr were almost ready in the living room and I told them to come out to the garage when they were ready.  On the way, I patted Thor on the head and told him to be a good boy.  At the workbench, I grabbed 2 pairs of locking pliers and some wd-40 and put them in his pack.  I was looking to see if there was anything else I wanted when the Picklers came out to the garage.  Lois kissed her men and told them to be safe.

“We’re going next door to the left.  The front door should be unlocked.  I know where the car keys are, but I want one of you inside with me just in case.  Mike Jr, can you watch the door?”

“Sure.”

“Lois, can you close the roll up door quietly and lock it when we’re out?”

“Of course.”

“We’re taking the Camry.  Let’s put 2 of the crossbows in the trunk.  Mike Jr, ride in the back seat and keep yours.  We’ll put our AR’s back there with you.  Ready?”

They nodded and I slowly opened the door.  Before coming downstairs I looked out the front window and saw nothing, but that was a few minutes ago now.  The coast was clear and quiet.  I didn’t think I’d ever get used to how quiet it was now.  The three of us went out and paused while Lois closed the door.

We moved to the left like I had done just 48 hours before.  The memories of that first encounter came flooding back and I paused on the porch.

“You okay?” asked Michael.

“Yeah, it’s just that I had my first encounter with one of these things right here.  I came over to check on the Thompsons and when I opened the door, Janice Thompson was right there.  She came out and tried to eat me.  That was 2 days ago.”

“I’m sorry, Ryan,” said Michael.

“Yeah, I’m sure it won’t be the worst thing to happen over the next few weeks.  Let’s go.”

Mike Jr stayed on the porch while his father and I went inside.  The car keys were on a rack in the kitchen just where I thought they’d be.  We were in and out in 30 seconds.  After loading the car, we climbed in and it started right up.  I made a right out of the driveway which took us back past my house.  Sam and Lois were waving from an upstairs window.  We all did our best to wave back.  At the corner, there was a boom box in the road.

“Strange place for a boom box,” said Mike Jr.

“Remind me to tell you that story some time.”

I wanted to take the back way out of the neighborhood to avoid as many wrecks and abandoned cars as possible.  But, by going this way, we were going by more neighborhoods.  Even before we got out of my neighborhood I had seen more zombies that the previous two days combined.  There were several just around the corner from the house that were kneeling around what appeared to be a fresh kill.  It must have been fresh since zombies weren’t interested in something that was dead.  The zombies looked up at the car as it went past but made no attempt to follow.

A little farther along, there was a child walking down the middle of the street in the direction the Camry was traveling.  At first, I got excited thinking it was a human child.  But, as we approached, I recognized the staggering walk that all the zombies seem to do.  Looking over as we passed, the child reached out to gab at the car and fell to the street.

“Shouldn’t we be killing these things,” asked Mike Jr.

“In theory, yes,” I said.  “Every zombie we kill today is one less to threaten us and one less to make other zombies.  But, we have a job to do today.  We need water and food.  If we stop and kill every one of these things we see, we’ll never get our job done.”

“After we get supplies,” said Michael.  “Should we try to clear the neighborhood out?”

“If we have a way to do it safely, then sure.  But I think we’d need to put some thought into that.”

Two of the homes in my neighborhood were burnt to the ground.  Another had four zombies pounding on the front door.  I felt bad about driving past that house.   And the other guys were quiet.  There seemed to be an undead every 2 or 3 houses.

Once through the neighborhood, we picked up a little speed.  But, everywhere we looked there were zombies or signs of zombies.  The yard of one house was littered with the possessions they dropped on the way out.  Clothes, toys, food.  They must’ve been in a real hurry.  Just past that house, there was a minivan off the side of the road.  Nothing inside was moving.

Once back on the main road on the island, Maybank Hwy, we passed a grocery store.  We went by slowly but couldn’t see any signs of looting at the Food Lion.  Twenty minutes of wrecks and stalled cars later, we approached Folly Road and turned left to head downtown.  The number of cars on this side of the road suddenly decreased.  No one was trying to get into downtown Charleston, I guess.  As we approached the round Holliday Inn on the west side of the Ashley River, I brought the car to a stop.

Both sides of the drawbridge were up.  That’s why there were no cars on the northbound side.  The parking lot of the Holiday Inn was situated between north and south Hwy 17 and we pulled in.  The southbound side of Hwy 17 was a parking lot.  Whoever raised the bridge, whether they did it to keep the living out or the dead in, had clearly done it at the last minute.  Several of the northbound cars sat crumpled at the bottom of the drawbridge.  They had obviously been on the span when it opened.

“Now what?” asked Michael.

“We take that bridge over there.”  I pointed east to the James Island Connector.  But it was hard to tell if there was a way through.  There were cars stopped at odd angles and piled up in several places.  A semi-trailer appeared to be jackknifed across the road.  Something was on fire.

“That doesn’t look open.  Is there a third option?”

“Sure,” I said.  “We can take a boat.”

“If we take a boat,” asked Mike Jr.  “How are we gonna get back over here?  I don’t want to spend the night”

“Well, there are two more bridges farther up the river and then there’s a long way around.”

“Which do you think is better; boat or bridge?” asked Michael.

“You’re right about one thing:  I don’t want to get over there and be stuck.  Let’s try the next bridge up the river.”

The Camry got a workout as we headed to the Cosgrove Bridge, the next bridge up the Ashley River.  The road was only barely passable in some places and it seemed like we spent more time going back and forth across the road rather than making much headway.  And there were many more zombies staggering about.  What should have been a 15 minute drive took almost an hour.  But the Cosgrove Bridge itself was passable and Interstate 26 east toward Charleston was almost deserted.  No one was trying to get into the city.  I guess the police had more important things to do than reverse the lanes like they do for a hurricane evacuation.    As I 26 ended, the road dropped us off only two blocks from where the bus was parked.  But there, the road was blocked.

Vehicles, dumpsters and debris formed a make shift barricade on Meeting St at the foot of the ramp.  It looked as if it had been breached but the hole wasn’t large enough for the Camry to fit through.  I pulled to the other side of the street and parked the car.  There were 6 or 7 zombies staggering around the other side of the barricade.  They had seen the car and were trying to get to it.

“We can’t get the car through there,” I said.  “And I don’t think we can move much of that by hand.”

“Then how do we get through?’ asked Michael.

“There are two buses.  I was only going to take one because I wanted us to stay together.  But, I have the keys for both of them.  We can use the older bus as a battering ram to make a larger hole for the other one.  It’s just a matter of making that small hole larger.”

“Alright, makes sense,” said Michael.  Mike Jr nodded in agreement.

“I see the zombies on the other side of the barricade,” I said.  “You guys see any others?”

They looked around but saw none.  Since Mike Jr had his crossbow, he got out and stood watch while Michael and I retrieved our gear.  I was glad that Karen and I got slings for the AR’s.  We were carrying a lot of gear.

“If we can, we need to retrieve the bolts from the zombies.  Otherwise we will run out eventually.  Let’s see if we can safely get a few of the zombies over there from this side of the barricade,” I said.  “No point putting ourselves in harm’s way any more than we have to.”

As we moved closer to the barricade, the zombies became more animated and got louder as they tried to get to us.  It turned out that I suck with a crossbow.  I missed my first three shots in a row.  Michael was better and only missed twice before hitting two in the head.  And Mike Jr took down four as rapidly as he could reload.  There was one more kinda behind a truck and no one could get a good angle.  I walked carefully through the barricade as I drew my tomahawk.  Once through the zombie came toward me and I took it down with one swing of the hawk.

“I don’t like to get that close now that I have this,” said Mike Jr as he held up his crossbow.

“Yeah, I’m a big fan of killing zombies from a distance,” agreed Michael.

“Well,” I said.  “Apparently I can’t hit shit with the crossbow and need more practice.  C’mon, let’s get our bolts.”

Mike Jr and his dad found their bolts and wiped the blood off on the zombies’ clothing.  No one was sure if getting zombie’s blood on your skin would turn you but there was no point taking chances.  I only found one of the three I shot and it was cracked.  Damn, there wasn’t enough stuff for me to be wasting it like that.  I’ll have to practice in the backyard when we get back.

Just then we heard gun fire in the distance.  There were too many buildings to be really sure, but we all thought it was coming from the direction of the market.

“Well, somebody’s alive and kicking,” said Michael.

“Yeah, but they’re either stupid or desperate,” I said.  “That’s a lot of noise.”