Patrick D'Orazio - Coming the Dark

The road ahead was fairly clear for as far as they could see. It was straight, but the gradual slope made it impossible to see more than a few hundred feet ahead. Jeff guessed that if it were true that the Gallatin high school and middle schools were set up as emergency shelters, the National Guard had kept the road clear of civilian vehicles. The machine gun positions in the front yards of several houses and detour signs on the side streets they passed seemed to confirm his theory.

“Almost there.”

When Jeff looked over at Megan, he saw terror etched on her face. His grin of confidence went slack, and he slowed down.

“Megan? What is it?”

She did not respond immediately. Instead, she kept looking ahead, toward the schools. A water tower stood nearby, its rusted struts climbing skyward, the fat metal belly painted with wording letting them know they were in Clermont County. Beyond it she could see the outlines of several large brick buildings on both sides of the road.

A church was to the left, partially blocking the view of another, larger building behind it. The only real indication that it was a house of worship and not a large home, at least from Megan’s angle, was the steeple that shot like an arrow straight to heaven. Several ground floor windows were boarded up, but otherwise it looked to be in good shape. Some windows were shattered, but the boards were still in place behind them.

Past the church were several squat buildings that were obviously schools. Plain and drab with large windows that peered into classrooms, they fit the mold of most modern educational facilities. Squared off and bland, two elementary schools and a junior high shared the same parking lot.

On the other side of the road, past the chain link fence surrounding the water tower, was the high school. It was larger than the other schools and looked more modern. A small parking lot was wedged between the tower and the school, and a much bigger one ran around the back of the building all the way to the far side. The high school was closer to them than the church but stretched far down the road so that it was also across from the elementary schools.

Megan was surprised to see how far the entire campus went. She could not see anywhere near the edge of the property lines of the schools; they were simply too far away. On both the road and the wide expanse of grass in front of the high school were more abandoned military vehicles and gun emplacements. There was plenty of room to maneuver and allow the van to glide by the remnants of the equipment that had been abandoned there.

It was quiet. Megan squinted as she looked around. There were no bodies slumped over as there had been up the street, and none up and walking around. She could see no movement in the shadows.

They would be past the water tower soon.

The serenity of the scene did nothing to change the look of raw fear on Megan’s face.

“Jeff, just keep driving. I don’t want to stop here. I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Her words were steady and concise, but Jeff could hear the panic beneath them. When she grabbed his arm and he looked at her, he knew she was struggling to remain calm.

He stared into her eyes and was amazed at how deeply blue they were. He knew it was a strange time to notice, but they stood out prominently against the dark circles underneath them and Megan’s olive skin tone. They were luminescent, shining like beacons in an otherwise hollowed-out and ravaged visage.

Her look of desperation passed, and so did Jeff’s feeble attempt at a smile. Suddenly he felt incredibly uncomfortable as those blazing blue eyes locked onto his and her fingers dug into his skin.

Jeff swung his head around and looked at the scene in front of them. Everything seemed quiet. The buildings looked normal, though the heavy artillery in the street was out of place.

There was a sign on the right side of the road with a bright red arrow on it, pointing at the high school. There was some sort of text below the arrow, but Jeff could not make it out. After his quick survey of the area, he turned back to Megan.

“I don’t see what’s got you all worked up. I mean…” he waved his hand in front of him, “look around us. There’s no one here. At least none of those things.”

“Jeff! We can’t stop here. Please, just keep driving. I think we’ll be in big trouble if we stop. I don’t know why, it’s just…” Megan’s voice got louder, and there was a hysterical edge to it.

“Now hold on!” Jeff shook off her death grip on his arm. “Just chill out!”

“No. No. NO. NO!” Each negation was punctuated by a violent shake of her head.

Suddenly, they were yelling at each other. Megan’s voice reached a frenzied pitch as Jeff allowed the van to coast forward. She tried sliding her foot onto the gas, but he blocked it and applied gentle pressure to the brake.

As she continued to bark and plead in his ear, Jeff looked out at the sign in front of the high school. He just wanted to read it and kept repeating that desire to Megan, but she was ignoring everything he said.

Megan suddenly stopped screaming and took a deep breath as she tried to compose herself. “Jeff, listen to me. Please.” Her volume had decreased dramatically. Jeff was still seething, still angry at her outburst, but waited to hear what she had to say. He stared at the sign:

GALLATIN EMERGENCY SHELTER.

ALL FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS REPORT TO THE GYM

FOR REGISTRATION.

One suitcase per family, clothing only. No pets! All food and water will be provided. All food and water brought on the premises will be confiscated.

NO FIREARMS!

Please have valid state or federal ID available for inspection.

Thank you for your cooperation.

A large arrow ran the length of the sign and pointed toward an entrance to the high school they couldn’t see from their position. The faculty parking lot was visible to their right, crammed with an assortment of cars. A few had slammed into the rest, and their doors were wide open. They had been abandoned in a hurry. The student parking lot was on the far side of the building, where the main doors probably were. The much larger lot was even more clogged than the faculty lot. A few Humvees were mixed in with the cars, strategically placed at the entrances to funnel traffic.

“There’s nobody here, Jeff. No one.” Megan began. “No one normal, at least. I think we should just go.” Her words were calm but intense. “I think we should head down the road and not look back. Please Jeff, just leave now. God, I know this is going to get bad, I just know it…please…”

She was becoming hysterical again, but Jeff paid no attention to her continued rambling. Instead, he squinted toward the glass doors of the high school. His eyes tried to focus at the shadowy darkness beyond them. He swore he could see movement.

“I think…” Jeff began, his voice distant.

Megan suddenly stopped speaking. “What?” she asked, her eyes glued to him. She had not heard his quiet words.

He shook his head in anger. “Son of a bitch,” he mumbled under his breath. “I think you’re right,” he sighed and nodded toward the doors of the school.

Megan swiveled her head to look, and saw that the doors to the high school had already been pushed open by the mass of infected bodies spilling out onto the lawn. She watched in stunned silence as more and more of them tumbled through the doors in a mad rush to get to the van.

“Fuck!”

Megan jumped as Jeff cursed. He was looking at the other side of the street. More ghouls were pouring out of each of the other school buildings. They were a flood, smashing through the doors and windows as they came.

Jeff slammed his foot on the gas, and the van shot forward. As they flew by the ongoing mess, he laughed nervously. “Jesus H. Christ! How many people lived in Gallatin? Fuck me!” He spoke with a nervous enthusiasm and a hint of stunned awe. “There are way too many people here.”