David Bernstein: Machines of the Dead

Jack awoke, his bladder feeling ready to burst. Maria was fast asleep next to him. He walked to the bathroom and relieved himself. Shaking the last few drops, he went to flush, stopping himself as his fingers touched the handle, the motion so ingrained he’d almost forgot not to do it. A small error like that and they could be overrun with undead.

Heading back into the living room, he wondered where Zaun was. Not imagining the guy in either bedroom, he checked them anyway.

Where the hell was Zaun?

Son of a bitch, Jack thought and marched to the front door. Zaun’s M4 was resting against the wall. He looked through the peephole, making sure the hallway was safe, then pulled on the door knob, seeing if the lock was engaged.

It wasn’t.

He opened the door about a foot and stuck his head out. There was no way his friend went downstairs, and he doubted Zaun went to the roof.

Jack slowly shook his head. That left only one place: 3F. Zaun couldn’t resist, could he? He simply had to see the place. Check it out for himself. This was bad. Really bad. Jack and Maria had trusted him. What the hell was he thinking, risking their lives for curiosity’s sake?

Jack had to go get him before something terrible happened. Closing the door, he went back into the apartment and retrieved his gun belt and harness, wanting both sidearms with him.

Heading back to the door, he paused, needing a moment to get himself under control. He was livid and needed to do this with a clear head. As long as Zaun was in 3F, the man was safe, but that didn’t mean Jack could take his time. He had to find Zaun and get back to the apartment before any undead came upstairs, or they’d have to fight their way back to 3R, the noise bringing a house full of undead to the floor.

Jack turned the knob slowly and opened the door just enough to allow himself to slip into the hallway. The floor whined under his feet, causing his pulse to pound harder. The noise wasn’t too loud, but with the third floor so hushed, he had no idea what it would take to attract the zombies’ attention. He supposed the combination of their shuffling shoes, the rubbing of their clothing, and their banging into walls was enough to keep the undead from hearing the sound of Jack’s weight upon the floorboards.

Reaching his destination, he opened the door and went in. A few feet away, Jack saw a pair of legs protruding from the bathroom’s doorway. Pulling out his. 45, he walked forward and saw that it was the woman he’d killed earlier. Damn it, she must have been infected.

Odd noises drew his attention away from the corpse. He continued down the hallway and into the living room where he found Zaun flinging what had to be drugs out the window.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

Zaun dropped one of the packets, and spun around, sword in hand.

“You scared the crap out of me, Jack.”

“What are you doing?” Jack asked, holstering his weapon. Zaun’s face was pale. He looked terrible, like he’d heard truly awful news.

“Tossing this shit out the window.”

Taking a breath, trying to remain calm, Jack asked, “Why? And why’d you leave the apartment? You put all of our lives in jeopardy.”

“I know,” he said, looking down. “I’m sorry. Wasn’t supposed to be long.”

“Are those keys of coke?”

“Yeah.” Zaun went on to explain how he had to use the bathroom and couldn’t stand to use the one in 3R. He figured going across the hall to a clean, fresh place wouldn’t hurt and he’d be back in no time. He was quieter than a mouse wearing booties, but while doing his business he was attacked by a zombie.

“I saw that. Had no idea she was infected.” Thinking back: the woman did look a little sickly. He should have made sure. Lesson learned.

Zaun told Jack about the lockers, then showed him the room.

“Why not just leave the stuff alone?”

“I’m a recovering drug addict,” Zaun said, then quickly filled Jack in about his past.

“I had no idea.”

“How could you? It was a long time ago, before I met you. I left that part of myself behind. For me, the want is always there. And lately it’s been difficult. All the killing; the death; the guns; the noise.” He shook his head. “The drugs, they’re a way out. A bullshit way, but a way. When I saw what was in the lockers I almost passed out from relief. I was tempted. Really tempted. I walked away, but found myself thinking about them as I did so. That shit is powerful, and I knew being across the hall that I wouldn’t be able to stop picturing those lockers and all the glorious evil they held. I had to do something so that I wasn’t tempted to come back over here and take some.” Zaun looked shaken. “I’m sorry, Jack. I know I really screwed up.”

Jack wanted to ream him out. Tell him if he had listened in the first place, that none of this would’ve happened, but he held his tongue. What was done was done.

“So you figured you’d give to them to the dead, ensuring there was no way you’d try for them?”

“Yeah.”

Jack saw that there were two kilos remaining. “Going to toss those?”

Zaun nodded.

“Then get to it. We need to leave.”

Zaun picked up the last two keys and launched them out the window.

“You realize you’ve stirred them up even more now?”

“Yeah.” Zaun looked crushed; like a little kid informed that his favorite toy is gone.

“And it’ll be that much longer before they leave.”

“I know. I’m really sorry, but it was the only way. I couldn’t take a chance. Knowing that shit was here was just too much. I haven’t been right, not since the world went to hell.”

At the front door, Jack looked through the peephole. A naked male zombie was standing near 3R’s door, slightly wobbling like a drunkard.

“Shit.”

“What is it?”

“Undead right outside 3R.”

“Only one?”

“Yeah.”

“We can take it out easily.”

Jack turned and said, “It’s facing away from us. Kill it as quickly and as quietly as possible.”

Zaun nodded.

Putting his hands on Zaun’s shoulders, Jack asked him if he was going to be okay.

“I’ll be fine. Leaving here will help.”

“Good. Next time, talk to me. We’re all in this together and we’re all each other have.”

Jack moved out of the way, giving Zaun room. Zaun opened the door, the hinges not making a sound and stepped out into the hallway.

The zombie had various gashes and wounds along its back and legs, the sores infected, with a green tinge to them.

Jack wondered how much longer it’d be before others came up the stairs.

Zaun moved gradually, his steps appearing to be purposefully placed, as if avoiding invisible land mines. Jack knew the floor creaked, but had no idea exactly where, but was sure his friend did. Zaun had somehow memorized the noisy areas. The man was amazing when it came to such things.

Jack waited with eager anticipation, wanting nothing more than the zombie dead and he and Zaun safely back inside 3R, but his fear came to fruition when the stairs began to creak. Looking through the rungs of the banister, he saw the blood-drenched head of a zombie.

Zaun drew his sword and plunged the blade into the undead’s skull. The corpse went limp, acting like a corpse should. He turned around as Blood-Drenched reached the landing. Zaun backed away, leading the thing from the stairs. Halfway to Jack, he stopped, waited for the zombie, then jabbed his sword into its right orbital, obliterating the eyeball. The sword poked out the back of its head and the zombie went limp. Zaun caught it before it had a chance to crash to the floor and gently laid it down.

Another zombie was coming up the stairs, an elderly, heavy-set member of the undead. Jack hoped this would be the last one. It lumbered slowly, wobbly on its feet. Four steps down from the top, it fell forward, its face landing on one of the stairs and knocking out its front teeth. Pushing itself back up, it lost its balance and fell backward, tumbling down the stairs.