Tim Meyer - Less Than Human

Before Ben could finish, glass shattered above them, the inhuman sounds of the gathering dead filled the first floor.

Then the screams began.

They reached the top of the stairs. Ben turned to Josh, handing him the key to the truck. “Take the girls to the truck. Give me two minutes. If I’m not out, leave without me.”

Josh nodded, grabbing the key from Ben. He waved the three women on and the four of them disappeared into the hallway.

Ben went the opposite way, following the sounds of the dead.

What the hell are you thinking? his inner-voice asked. You should be running away from them, not toward them! Think of your son for fuck’s sake!

The voice was right. Why risk his life to save somebody he barely knew? Jake depended on him.

I can’t just let Paul die…

Ben’s conscious would never let him forgive himself. He had to try to save the man, pull him out of the fire so to speak. It was in his nature, his human nature , and Ben didn’t really understand why anymore than he knew the intricacies of the universe. He only knew he had to try.

Ben appeared in the doorway leading to the kitchen. His stomach plummeted. The zombies had broken through the back door, crowding the kitchen. At least fifteen of them. Several of them were latched onto Bobbi-Jo, ripping chunks of flesh away from her body with their jagged teeth. The teenager wailed as the monsters tore the meat away from her bones easily.

Jason, “The Ripper” he had called himself, was on the floor, crawling away in crab-like fashion from the macabre scene unfolding on the table. A nearby zombie followed him, and unfortunately for Jason, it was quicker. The corpse lunged and grabbed the kid’s legs, biting at his ankles. The psychopath yelped, thrashed his legs in hopes to separate himself. The zombie held on, aiming his next attack at the dangling organ between his legs. Jason let out a torturous scream when the corpse bit down on his flaccid penis and reared its back. The kid’s floppy member snapped like a rubber band. An explosion of blood splashed over the zombie’s face as it began devouring the reproductive organ. Jason started twitching on the floor, entering into some sort of seizure. The rest of the dead swarmed him, began consuming his untouched parts.

Ben turned his head from the grisly scene, focusing his attention on the reason he went back. Paul Scott wrestled with a zombie, fending him off with the rifle. Paul caught Ben’s gaze and shook his head, snarling.

“Get the fuck out of here, Ben!” Paul screamed.

Ben stepped forward to help, but an energized zombie jumped over the island and tackled Paul to the ground. The other zombie fell with them, and the two hissing beasts began gnawing on Paul’s limbs. Ben backed into the hallway. Under the weight of the two corpses, Paul positioned the end of the rifle under his chin. He winked at Ben as the one of the zombies tore a scrap of flesh from his arm. Then, Paul pulled the trigger. His brains exploded through the top of his skull, painting the tile floor burgundy.

Ben scampered out of the kitchen, the dead focusing their attention on the doorway.

Josh saw Ben bound the porch steps, dozens of zombies in tow. They poured out of the Barker’s house like bees from a hive. Some of them were quicker than others, but Ben was fastest. He ran across the front lawn as if the Grim Reaper were nipping his heels.

“Start moving!” Ben shouted.

Josh started to do what Ben had said when something caught his eye. It came shambling out of the Barker’s country home. His body went numb and tingly. “Oh shit,” he muttered to himself. Olivia Vander stumbled down the steps after Ben. Her mother followed closely behind. Both women looked hideous; patches of skin was missing from their faces, exposing the raw muscle beneath; blood-soaked clothes; eyes containing no souls. She barely resembled the Olivia that Josh knew and almost loved.

“Josh!” Ben screamed.

Josh snapped out of his semi-romantic reveries, shifting the truck out of idle. Slowly, the truck crept away from the Victorian home. Ben did his best Bruce Willis impression, diving into the bed. Brit was there to help him in safely. Once his limbs cleared the end of the truck, Brit closed the gate. Josh slammed his foot on the gas. The truck sped off, spitting dirt and grass at the approaching horde.

A DAY LATER…

The truck died just outside of Brown Valley, Pennsylvania, the town Melissa had moved Jake to. The gas light had warned them many miles ago, but since none of them knew where the nearest pit stop was, they chanced it. The Barker Brothers had stripped them of their cellular devices, even though they would have been useless anyway. Ben thought back to the first day everything fell apart and remembered his cell phone refused to find a signal. Things don’t look too different over here, he thought while cruising down the empty, residential streets.

They saw signs pointing toward Brown Valley and Ben told them they were close. As soon as they reached the border, the engine sputtered and finally ceased. Josh cranked it a few more times just to make sure. It choked, but never started.

“Looks like were hoofing it,” Josh told them.

“What if they are out there?” Emily asked.

Josh turned to her. “Then we probably shouldn’t wait around for them, right?”

They were out there. Ben could smell them, that old familiar odor.

“Let’s hurry,” Ben suggested, hopping out of the cab.

The five of them started down the street.

“Do you know where you’re going, man?” Josh asked, following the rest of the group.

“732 Crown Avenue.”

“And which way is that?” Josh asked.

Ben sighed. “I don’t know. But this town isn’t that big.”

“So we’re just going to what—walk around aimlessly until we find it?”

Ben shrugged. “Got a better idea?”

“Let’s head back to the highway. There’s gotta be a convenience store something. Maybe they have a map.”

“That’s backtracking.”

“Sometimes you gotta go backwards before you can move forward,” Josh said confidently.

Ben closed his eyes, shaking his head. “You go. I gotta find my son.”

Victoria looked around. “I have to be honest, Ben. Things don’t look very… lively.” She surveyed the surrounding houses. Ranches. Most of them appeared empty. Abandoned. No signs of life. “Do you think whatever happened… reached here?”

“No,” Ben said immediately. “No, they probably evacuated once they heard about the East Coast.”

“What makes you think your ex and son are still here?” Brittany asked. “Wouldn’t they have evacuated with the rest of them?”

“I told them I was coming.” Ben shrugged. “But they might have. If it wasn’t safe anymore. I’d like to think my ex would at least give me some time to get out here. Things were looking up the last I spoke with her. We had just been saved . Remember?” Ben smiled.

“Saved. Yeah, right. Funny.”

“I wonder what my ex is doing right now,” Victoria asked, hoping to change the subject.

“Hopefully he’s dead,” Brittany muttered.

“Brittany! Don’t talk about your father like that. Not in front of your sister.”

“It’s okay, Mom. I never knew him anyway,” Emily told her.

“Still… that’s not the point.”

“What? He’s a scumbag, drug addict.” Brittany nodded to Josh. “No offense.”

“Oh, none taken,” Josh said sarcastically. He changed his tone immediately. “Ben, I have to protest. We need a map. Otherwise we’ll be here for days looking for Crown Avenue.”