Patrick D'Orazio - Into the Dark

“Pull yourself together, asshole!”

Jeff turned at the sharp sound of Cindy’s voice. She was standing toe to toe with Michael, her hands gripping the front of his jacket as everyone else looked on.

“Because if you freak out now, you’ll lose control of these pricks, guaranteed.” Cindy leaned in until her eyes were nearly level with Michael’s.

Ben came to a halt a few feet away. Cindy looked at him and stepped back, her eyes still on fire. Michael seemed to realize that everyone was watching him, and his face went red. Jeff couldn’t tell at first if it was from embarrassment or anger. Moments later, he knew the truth.

“All right, everyone listen up!” Michael snarled. “There are more of these bastards to the south. We’re going to need to spread out along the wall, so we can thin them out. I’m going to put a single team on each-”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Ben shouted at him.

Michael whipped around.

“You’re kidding, right?” Ben moved closer, his hands still gripping the wrecking bar of a weapon he had used against the ghouls.

“Now why would I be kidding, Ben? What possible reason would there be for me to kid at a time like this?”

“I don’t know, but if you think we can still survive by poking at these bastards with as many as there are surrounding us, you’ve gone off the deep end.”

Ben stood with the weapon at his side, his body relaxed. His words were a casual assessment, as calm as ever.

The others began to talk, their panic rising above the wailing cries of the rotters down below.

“Everyone shut up! I can’t hear myself think!” The voices died down, and Michael shut his eyes for a moment.

When he opened them, he focused on Ben. “So what would you suggest we do? Huh? Any bright ideas? I mean, didn’t you agree with me before? We can’t just drive out of here, now can we? Not with so many of these bastards out there, right?” Michael paused, his head swiveling to capture everyone within his line of sight. “But if we fight. IF WE FIGHT-” He elevated his voice to overcome the mounting protests. “WE MIGHT STAND A CHANCE!”

“Boss, are you sure? I mean, we could still try to get the hell outta here.” Frank’s words sounded panicky. All the bluster and anger had gone out of him. He was looking at the other faces: Ben, George… even Jeff, in the hopes that they would back him up.

Michael sighed and stiffened his shoulders as he took a deep breath. He appeared calm when he spoke. “You want to get out of here, huh?” He surveyed the crowd. “You all want to leave, right? So how do you propose we do that?” He moved to the edge and pointed down at the desperate hands grabbing for him. “Those dumb fucks don’t appear to be all that good at climbing, and I seriously doubt they can manage to topple fifteen goddamned tons of steel. So what makes you think we’re better off trying to leave? Please, someone enlighten me!”

“Because they will get in.”

Michael’s eyes shot daggers at Jeff.

“No they can’t! Or didn’t you just hear me?” The leader moved toward Jeff, his pupils pinpoints as he ticked off his reasons. “They can’t crawl underneath; there’s barely any clearance. They can’t squeeze in between; we made sure the RVs were wedged tight against one another. They can’t climb, as I’ve already pointed out, so it’s not like they’re getting over the top. So tell me, Jeff. Please, I’m begging you. How are they going to get in?”

Jeff did not budge as Michael bore down on him. He was too tired, too exhausted to be afraid of the man anymore.

“They won’t need to climb over the top. Soon enough, they’ll be tumbling over the walls, no matter how many we kill.”

Michael stared at him, his expression a mix of disbelief and disdain.

“So let me guess… they’ll, what? Form pyramids and boost each other up?”

“No need.” Jeff moved toward the edge, aware that one gentle push from Michael would send him toppling down into the crowd. But he had to get his point across. “The more we kill, the more bodies fall to the ground.” He glanced down below. “We’re only killing a small number, but the bodies are all piling up next to the wall.”

Michael bellowed with laughter. “So let me get this straight: You think our kills will act like a giant stepladder for those things? Oh that’s rich.”

Jeff smiled feebly. “It’s not just the ones we kill, Michael.” He gestured toward the crowd. “Take a closer look.”

After glaring at Jeff for a few moments, Michael followed the other man’s eyes down into the crowd.

“See how some of them pop to the surface and then disappear again?”

“So what?” Michael countered. “I’m getting really tired of your bullshit observations, Jeff.”

“They’re crushing each other underfoot.”

Michael looked back down. “What do you mean? They’re attacking one another?” His expression was skeptical.

“No, they’re pressing so hard against the trailer that the ones in front are being sucked down beneath the others. They’re not attacking each other; they’re just doing everything within their power to get to us, even if it means crushing everyone in their way.”

Michael opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He watched as a man whose facial skin dangled like a second chin below his jaw was smashed repeatedly against the metal skin of the motor home. He grabbed and scratched at the side of the RV, but within seconds, the pathetic wretch was dragged underneath another ghoul, an obese woman who did not even look as she pushed down on his head. Other arms moved forward, grabbing his shoulders and pressing the faceless ghoul down even farther. The rotting man sank under the morass of spongy bodies until he disappeared entirely.

“It doesn’t matter.” Michael shook his head. “We can draw them away from this spot, all around the periphery of the camp. Even if what you say is true, when we spread them out, they won’t be able to pile up.”

Jason chose that moment to speak up. “Then won’t they just get in from even more places? Ben’s RV is the only one with the windows covered up, right?”

Michael’s eyes darted to the boy. The leader had a shocked look on his face. Jason stared back at him, the admiration he had shown the man the day before completely gone, replaced with something that more closely resembled loathing.

Cindy rushed past Michael, practically charging at the boy. “Who said the little snot nose could speak?” she snarled. She stopped short as George stepped in front of Jason. Her claws were bared, and she looked at the middle-aged man without an ounce of fear in her eyes. When he didn’t back down, she glared at everyone else.

“You all better start listening to Michael right fucking now.” The low hum of Cindy’s malevolent voice cut through the nervous chatter that had started back up amongst the group. “Because last I checked, he was still in charge.” She pointed at Jeff. “Not you.” The words dripped with contempt. She turned and pointed at Ben next. “And not you either.”

She stepped next to Michael. Picking up her rifle, which had been lying near her feet, she held it stiffly in her arms and dared anyone to dispute her claim. Frank hesitated for a split second and swallowed hard before moving next to her and Michael.

Jeff looked around at everyone. No one seemed willing to speak up, not even Ben. He knew Cindy was crazy, but the idea of staying on the roof as an infected horde that numbered in the thousands surrounded them on all sides was pure insanity. He sighed as he realized it was once again up to him to take a stand.

“Cindy, it doesn’t make one bit of difference who’s in charge. If we stay up here, we’re dead.”