Jason Campagna - White Ash on Bone - A Zombie Novel

The radio continued to report on the spreading violence. The only safe zone in the area seemed to be the Butler County Airport.

"Unless we can get out of the region," Rex said, "we should head to the Airport at daybreak. I know it's South of us, but if we cut through the Western edge of Butler, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. There is an old oil town a couple miles from the bridge they blew on Route 8. It has an old one-lane iron grate bridge that goes across the creek. The bridge is only a couple of miles from the back end of the airport."

"Do you think we can make it that far?" Alison said.

"I’d say we have better odds than if we stay here,” Rex said. “Besides, if we’re at an airport we have better chance of getting help. If not, we can always steal a plane and get the heck out of Dodge."

Would Mike be as calm as this guy, Alison wondered. Her mind kept coming back to her husband through out the night. She continued to play with her wedding ring as if playing with it might somehow produce the answers her mind sought.

Yes I love him, she thought, but I love the idea of him. He is not the same guy I met all those years ago. I’ve given him everything and he’s given me whatever is left over.

"Rex," Alison said. "What do you think is causing this?"

"Your guess would be as good as mine,” Rex said. “Hell, it could be those Mayan prophecies of 2012 coming true.”

"This is what the Mayans predicted?" Alison said.

"I don’t think anyone has a real clue about what the Mayans predicted anymore," Rex said. "When the Spanish conquered that part of the world they brought the inquisition with them. The Mayan’s civilization was pretty well collapsed on its own by that time, but they had a lot of written history to draw back on. The Catholics went on a book burning spree with most of the Mayan libraries and few survived."

"How do know all this?" Alison said.

"I did quite a bit of traveling down there through what was once the various Mayan States. I wonder how the Mayans are going to act when they hear about the dead walking here."

"There are still Mayans around?" Alison said. “I would have never guessed.”

"Yep," Rex said. "We call a lot of them Mexicans. The Yucatan is full of indigenous populations of them and while they are good Catholics on the surface, the old gods still exist to some. On the one trip, I had hired a guide to take me through an abandoned Mayan complex. On the way there, I saw some ruins on the side of the highway by an overpass. I asked what kind of ruins they were and who built them. The guide responded that they were in fact not ruins but were a shrine to a local spirit. I asked him to explain further because that didn’t make any sense to me. He explained that when they constructed the overpass they tore down ruins of an ancient shrine to an old god at the site. The bridge they built cracked and fell apart with in six months of completion. So they rebuilt the bridge. Keep in mind we are talking about modern construction for heavy traffic. That bridge fell in too.”

“That’s pretty weird,” Alison said. “Then again after tonight I would say anything is possible. What happened next?”

They brought in the best engineers from Mexico City to build the third bridge,” Rex said. “That bridge fell in as well. One of the engineers was sitting around one day and talking with a local. It comes up in the conversation that an old shrine was torn down on the site. The government then did the only thing left to do; they rebuilt the shrine and local people made offerings to the old god. The new bridge stands to this day the guide explained to me; but of course, I can see it with my own eyes. That may sound crazy, but it’s less crazy to me now with dead people walking around trying to eat the living.”

It’s the end of the world, Alison thought and here I am sharing it with strangers. "I wish my husband was here," Alison said.

On the radio, the voice of Mike Carson began to speak. “ I’d be happy to give you some information. My name is Doctor Mike Carson from Butler Memorial Hospital. Penn Township has established a secure zone here at the Butler County Airport. We have established emergency and medical services at the facility and encourage anyone who can safely get here to do so.

What we are dealing with seems to be aspects of the body functioning after death. Before Butler Memorial fell, I witnessed several bite patients expire and later begin to function again. Medically speaking they are in fact dead. I have heard the term zombies thrown around quite a bit, and for the moment, it seems to be an apt description.

I want to stress to the listeners to avoid contact with these "zombies" and to be extremely cautious when dealing with people that have been bitten.

I can also confirm by direct observation that the only way to effectively stop one of these zombies is by causing severe trauma to the brain."

"What do you mean by severe trauma?" the radio news reporter asked.

"Shoot them, or smash their brains in," Carson responded. "Listen, I can't overstate the danger that the public is dealing with in the current crisis. Out of an entire hospital only myself and my assistant Kimberly Horne managed to escape death."

"Can we talk to your assistant as well Dr. Carson?" the reporter asked.

"Kim, honey, come over here please," Carson said.

"Kimberly Horne," the radioman said , "is standing perhaps 10 yards away by a gate to the airport helping screen people for injuries before they are admitted to the facility. Can you tell the listeners what happened to you back at Butler Memorial Hospital?" the newsman asked .

"I thought I was going to die; those things were attacking everyone. They were after me too, but I managed to run away from them. Then I found Mike, and he was there for me and protected me on the roof of the hospital. Then a helicopter landed and rescued us. It brought us here where we were asked to help out organizing the airport."

Alison's mouth dropped open in the car as she listened to her husband and Kimberly talk on the radio. She took her wedding ring off her finger and pushed it into her pocket.

"Rex, can you show me how to use a gun before we get to the airport?" Alison asked.

Vicky lashed out in the driver's seat at some nightmare she was having. Her fist hit the horn hard enough for a brief blast from under the truck’s hood. Everyone in the vehicle jolted awake at the noise. Alison felt her heart pounding.

"What's wrong?" Ginger shouted.

"Nothing, I had a bad dream," Vicky replied.

Outside the garage, something slammed on the garage door.

"I think the horn attracted some attention," Rex said.

"Do you think it’s one of them?" Alison said. She realized she was clutching onto Rex’s knee while Brandi was glued onto her with fistfuls of her clothing. Rex nodded.

"It's Dad," Ginger said.

"You don’t know that," Rex said.

Vicky reached over to open the door of the truck.

"What are you doing Vicky?" Brandi asked with concern bleeding into her voice.

"If it’s my husband then someone has to take care of him,” Vicky said. “I don’t want my daughter to have to see it. I’ll go out through the side door behind the truck and take a look." She opened her door and stepped out pulling her shotgun with her. Rex popped his door open blocking her path. "Rex," Vicki warned, "Get out of my way. Your job is to protect my baby girl."

"Fine, but I’m going to be right behind you,” Rex said. “Ginger, get up front behind the wheel. Alison, let me show you how a revolver works." Rex gave Alison a box of ammo and his grandfather's silver .38 special. "You got six shots so make sure you’re no farther than a couple of arms lengths and put a bullet straight to the head."