Tim Meyer - Less Than Human

Seconds passed. Josh wondered how long before his head looked like a pumpkin smashed against the sidewalk. Gunpowder traveled into his nose, turning his stomach.

“Dammit,” Ranger Steve muttered, finally lowering his weapon.

Josh sighed deeply. He crouched, relieved that his head was still attached to his neck. He was a little peeved it had taken the man so long to realize he wasn’t a flesh-crazed maniac, but he was thankful to still be breathing.

“You really need to work on your manners, Ranger Steve,” Josh said.

“I’m sorry,” Ranger Steve replied. “I really am. I just thought that you were one of those…”

“I believe zombies is the word you were looking for.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” the religious woman jeered. “They’re just… crazy people. High on bath salts, probably. Seen it on the news. Zombies aren’t real, kid.”

“Hey, whatever you say, lady.”

Ben had finished draining gas from the Jeep through a garden hose he found around the side of the building. It was too long so Ben used the pocket knife he found in the Jeep to cut it appropriately. After he finished transferring the gas from the other vehicles to his own, he raided them for food and supplies. Besides finding the pocket knife, Ben found some bottles of warm water, moldy sandwiches, some warm yogurt, useless camping effects, and a tire iron, which would be handy if things got hairy. A fucking tire iron. It was better than nothing. He hated thinking that in order to survive this new world and give himself a chance at finding his son, he was going to have to kill a few of those things, something he wasn’t sure he was capable of. You’ll do it if you want to see Jakey again, won’t you? Yes, he supposed he would. Besides, killing something that’s already dead really wasn’t murder, was it? They’re only dead because they were killed by another one of those things. Shouldn’t really be dead, should they? No, he guessed they shouldn’t. But they were dead. Weren’t they? There’s nothing human about them, not anymore. Right?

Ben started thinking if the zombies could feel anything. Pain. Sadness. Pleasure. Anguish. Did they have thoughts? Able to rationalize? Or did they only have the never-ending motor that ran on the consumption of human meat? He didn’t know, although he suspected the latter. His mind reverted to the woman he awoke to earlier that morning, the one mindlessly smashing her hand against the windshield. There was nothing behind her eyes, no signs of humanity lingering within. She was just a zombie, going through the motions, fueled by the hunger. That’s it. Nothing more.

It was just like the movies.

Only, was it? He began stocking the Hyundai with the loot he had found, thinking about how the zombie virus worked and how similar it was to the movies he had once forced himself to watch. Is it passed through bites and scratches? Can animals be infected? How long does it take to turn into one of them? These were the questions lurking in his mind, anxiously awaiting answers.

In that moment, something changed. A breeze blew through the clearing, moving trees like flames at a rock concert. The leaves whistled to him from above. Ben looked around, sniffing the air, trying to put his finger on the smell. It didn’t take long to decipher what it was. He smelled it at the Yoland’s house the day before. It wasn’t as strong as it was then, but Ben knew exactly what it was. It was an odor Ben would never forget.

It was the smell of the dead heading toward him.

“How long have you guys been here?” Josh asked. Victoria had just finished making a sling for his arm out of some unused tee-shirts that belonged to the recreation center. She had done a good job, too. Josh thought she might have been the camp’s nurse.

“Two days,” Ranger Steve said. “I was out there—with the Girl Scouts. Ranger Rick and I were showing them how to tie knots down by the lake when…” He stopped. The man was covered in sweat, his uniform drenched. Tears found the corners of his eyes, his lips trembled softly. For a second, Josh thought the man had reached his limit. However, he composed himself and continued. “They came out of the woods. Tons of them. Too many to count. Everyone ran. It was chaos. They started attacking the girls. Ripping them to shreds like they were made of construction paper. The chaperons tried to stop them, but… it was useless. They were taken too. Ranger Rick tried to be a hero. Got jumped by three of those fuc—” Stopping himself, he caught the cold gaze of the snooty religious woman. “Got jumped by three of them. They wrestled him to the ground. Ate him.” Ranger Steve wiped a thick layer of sweat from his forehead. “Sorry, darling,” he said to Emily.

She buried her head in Victoria’s midsection.

“It’s okay, Emily,” her mother said calmly. Josh could tell she was trying to keep it together for the sake of the kid. “We’re going to be okay.” Josh noticed red speckles on Emily’s uniform. She had been at the massacre near the lake. He could see it in her eyes. The poor child had seen some terrible shit happen, horrors that would forever warp her innocent mind.

As Josh surveyed their faces, he could tell they had all been there, seen the horrors this new world brought. Some hid it better than others. Like the Jesus-Woman, who seemed to act as if all were well, as long as they had the Lord in their hearts. There was no sadness in her eyes, only hope.

Ranger Steve was practically shitting himself. Josh figured one loud sound and he’d need a new pair of underwear.

“Your mother’s right, Emily,” Josh said. “You’re going to be okay. My friend Ben outside—he has a car, and there’s room for all of you—”

“You think we’re leaving this place?” Ranger Steve asked. “You’re outta your mind if you think we’re leaving this place.”

Josh glanced at him, his eyes narrowing.

“Steve’s right,” Victoria agreed. “I mean, we have food and water here. Enough to get us through the week. By that time, this whole thing’ll blow over and help will come. It doesn’t make any sense to leave.”

Josh frowned. “Look, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don’t think this thing is going to blow over.”

“What do you mean?” Victoria asked.

“Yeah,” Jesus-Lady chimed in. “What the devil are you talking about?”

“What I mean is…” Josh began to say, then noticed Emily peeking at him, her head still resting against her mother’s stomach. “I think this thing might last a little longer than that.”

“So what do you suggest we do? Go out there?” Jesus-Lady snootily inquired. “Uh-uh, no way. I’m keeping my fanny right here. Couldn’t pay me to go out there with those… demons. The devil is out there, sonny-boy, and I plan to stay here with God. Yessir.”

“Okay, well that’s fine and dandy,” Josh told her. “But what’s going to happen when you run out of food and water? Or worse, what’s going to happen when those so-called ‘demons’ of yours find this place?” He could see his questions bothered Emily, but he didn’t care. Jesus-Lady was being intentionally stubborn and she needed to face the facts. “What’s going to happen then?”

“Someone will come for us. The police. The government. Somebody,” Victoria told him.

“Suppose they don’t.”

“God will provide for us. All we have to do is pray,” Jesus-Lady announced. She closed her eyes, humming a spiritual tune quietly.

“Jesus.”

“Hey!” she snapped. “Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain, mister!”

Josh waved her off, turning his back. He wondered how exactly to convince these people that it was only a matter of time before the swarm found them.