89.4 Zombie Radio

"So we're just going to walk and hope we're going the right way?" I asked.

"Unless you have a better plan Jessie," Bob replied. "We need a few supplies too, I think we're down to two bullets, and we could use water and food for the trip. So the first Walmart we see, I say we make a stop."

"Walmart? Do you really think that's a good idea?" Dalton asked.

"Nope, but I'm not sure if we have much of a choice," Bob answered.

"We'll be fine, the four of us combined should be more than enough to handle anything," Layla said. "The only thing we really have to worry about are the queens, but I think those are maybe one in forty thousand. The population of the United States is roughly three hundred million people. So If I had to guess, there are maybe seven thousand five hundred queens out of the millions of zombies. Our chances of running into them are fairly slim."

"Did you just do all that math in your head?" Dalton asked.

"Yea, pretty much," Layla replied.

"Well, its a good thing you hooked up with her Bob, because you're pretty much an idiot," I said. "You two should be a good balance."

"Thanks... I think," Bob said. "I think we should stop for just a second and plot out a course. We need to find a town where there would even be a Walmart."

We stopped and looked for the closest town to where we were. It was probably a whole day's worth of walking, but it wasn't really out of our way. Especially since we really didn't know what way we were even going. We knew it was worth the walk, and so, we decided to head in that direction. We walked through Bellevue, stepping over the occasional zombie corpse from Dalton and Bob's trip to find Layla and I. When we got to the edge of town, there was a gas station, so we decided to stop and gather a few supplies. Dalton and I went in first, to make sure it was clear. There were no zombies anywhere, and so we stopped for a brief rest.

"Bob, are you okay?" Layla asked.

"Yes Layla, I'm fine, don't worry," Bob replied.

"She's allowed to worry Bob," I said. "...What is that?"

"What's what?" Dalton asked.

"There's a guy outside," I answered.

"Well its probably not a guy, its probably a zombie," Bob said, as he got up slowly to try and see what I was looking at.

"I know that idiot, I'm just saying. Should we try and hide or something?" I asked.

"I'm not afraid of a zombie, fuck him. Let him see us," Bob replied.

"Bob, you're not allowed to fight any zombies until I tell you," Layla said. "So you should be afraid."

"What ever happened to that scared girl who froze in fear when a zombie was coming at her?" Bob asked.

"She died that day you gave her that gun and told her to shoot," Layla answered. I noticed the zombie turn towards our direction and start walking towards us. I also noticed he was wearing a police uniform. I started to remember the police station, and how Dean got shot. Now I was officially worried.

"Umm, guys, he's coming towards us," I said.

"So, its only one of them," Dalton replied.

"Yea, but this ones a cop," I told him.

"And that makes what sort of difference?" Bob asked. I then saw him lift the gun he was carrying, and point it at us. Bob seen it too and immediately knew that this was not good. The zombie took a shot that barely missed Layla's head. We took cover behind one of the isles, and listened as a few more shots landed around us.

"Holy fuck!" Bob yelled.

"Is it a queen?" Layla asked.

"No, I don't think it is," I replied. "When we were trying to get out of the city, we stopped at the police station Jack worked at. There was one there that tried to shoot us. I don't think it was a queen. I think some of them just know how to use guns."

"Well, this is just great," Dalton said. "What should we do?"

"We have to run," I replied. "I think that shot is going to draw more of them to where we are."

"I couldn't have said that better myself Jessie," Bob added.

"I know that Bob, because you're stupid," I told him. We heard the door open and the welcoming bell ring. He was inside, and trying to find us. I saw the back door, and decided to make a run for it. I knew if I did, everyone would probably follow me. I took off and heard the zombie cop fire a shot at me. It hit the glass of one of the cooler doors behind me. I looked back, and the rest were following my lead. A few more shots were fired, but we all made it out the back door safely.

Just as we got outside, there were two zombies rushing towards us. The gun shots must have brought them. Dalton pulled out his sword and stabbed the one through the chest. The zombie didn't stop, it just kept walking through the blade to try and get to Dalton. Layla then took a swing at the zombie's head, and knocked it to the ground. Dalton pulled out his sword, and Layla finished the zombie off by bashing it in the head. I noticed the other one get close to her, and Bob stepped up and kicked it back. I jumped on the downed zombie, and finished it off. The zombie cop then came through the door, and Dalton rushed it before it could get a shot off. Dalton put his sword through the lower part of the zombie's jaw, and pushed it through until it came out the top of its head.

"Bob! You are NOT allowed to fight!" Layla scolded.

"I'm sorry! I seen you were in trouble! Its instinct!" Bob replied, holding his stomach.

"We don't have time guys look!" Dalton yelled, pointing to another large swarm of zombies heading our way. We didn't waste any time in running the opposite direction. We didn't get very far before another group of zombies cut us off. Out of options, we cut down a parking lot, and into a building. From the looks of it, it was a hospital waiting room. I remembered Gabe's journal, and how they kept all those zombies locked up in rooms. This was probably not the greatest place to try and make an escape.

"Now what!?" Layla yelled.

"We find another way out of here and quick," Bob replied. We walked further into the room, and found a hallway. A zombie charged Bob from one of the rooms and took him to the ground. It was a girl, and she was clearly a nurse before all of this had happened. Layla kicked her off and then used the top of the bat to smash her face in. Dalton helped Bob up, and Bob took a second to catch his breath.

"Thanks Layla," Bob said.

"Hey, I'm returning the favor okay? You watched me all this time, its only fair I do the same," Layla replied. Just then another zombie wearing a surgeon's mask came charging out of another room at Dalton. Before Dalton even noticed, I swung my skateboard at him and nailed the zombie clean in the face. Dalton turned around, and finished him off with a few stabs in the neck, decapitating the zombie. We were all starting to get way too good at this.

"Thanks Jessie," Dalton said. I just shot Dalton a smile and we continued down the hall.

"I need something to defend myself, I don't like this whole helpless thing I have going on right now," Bob said.

"Bob, shut up," Layla replied. "We'll be fine, just grab my hand and stay close to me."

"This role reversal is kind of funny to me," Bob said.

"Well, when you're back to one hundred percent, we can go back to the way things were," Layla told him. "But for now, this is how it is."

"I don't know if I want to go back now, this is pretty awesome," Bob replied. The group that was chasing us outside, had now found its way to the hallway. We ran down the hallway, and through a set of double doors. There were a few zombies in the rooms, but most of the doors seemed to be locked.

"Why are all these doors locked?" Layla asked.

"They probably saw everyone was turning into these things and started locking the doors," Dalton said. "I'm definitely not complaining."

We kept running down the hall, and we reached a door that read "Hospital Staff Only." I was immediately starting to have more flashbacks of Gabe's journal. Bob shut the door, and locked it behind us. When the zombies chasing us reached it, they tried to break the glass on the window. When we realized they couldn't break it, Bob approached the window and gave them a middle finger.

"Robert James Faust! Do not taunt the zombies!" Layla scolded.

"What!? They probably don't even know what that means anymore!" Bob replied.

"I don't care! Don't do it! We don't need them angrier than they already are!" Layla shouted. Bob didn't respond, he just put his head down in shame. Dalton and I laughed after the scolding. Those two hadn't been together a day even, and they were already fighting like a married couple.

"Well, what do we do now?" Dalton asked. "We just blocked the only way out of here."

"I think we need to circle around somehow, and go out the way we came," I answered.

"How do you propose we do that?" Dalton replied.

"Well, maybe there's an elevator or a staircase around here we can use. We take it to the second floor and then simply go around the zombies," Bob explained. "I seen an elevator in the waiting room earlier. So I'm sure if we can get to the next floor, we can find a way out of here."

"So where do you think we'll find that at?" I asked.

"Hell if I know, let's just start checking rooms," Bob replied. We walked from room to room, checking the windows for some sign of an elevator, or staircase. Most of the rooms were locked, and when we looked in the windows, something usually charged the door, scaring the crap out of me. I stopped looking in windows after a few of those, and made Dalton check all of them for me. At the end of the hall, was a large room, with more double doors. It was the only room not locked, and so we went inside. It seemed as though the room was refrigerated, and there were bodies, covered in sheets spread throughout it.

"We're in the morgue aren't we?" Bob asked.

"By the looks of things, yes," Layla answered. "Are you scared?"

"I'm lying if I say I'm not a little creeped out," Bob replied.

"As creepy as it is, I don't think we have anything to..." Layla didn't get to finish her speech. A zombie came charging at us, armed with a scalpel. He took a swipe at Layla, who managed to dodge out of the way. She then swung her bat and hit the zombie in the back, knocking it to the ground. Dalton and I then took advantage, and finished the job. The four of us were like a well oiled machine of zombie killing at this point.

"Okay, I take it back. We still have to worry," Layla said. "I think there will be an elevator somewhere in this room. There's probably one that they use to transport the bodies from other floors here."

It didn't take much effort to find the elevator. It was at the opposite end of the morgue, clearly labeled. Dalton pressed the arrow going up, and we waited for it to show up. When the doors finally opened, a zombie nurse came rushing out of the elevator. This one was a bit more of a job to handle, as she looked like at one point she had maybe eaten a little too much McDonald's. That was putting it nicely. I managed to move to the side and trip her, and Dalton finished her off with one clean chop. We got on the elevator, and pushed the button for the second floor.

"Is anybody else worried that the fat nurse we just killed is only a preview of what's on this floor?" Bob asked.

"Bob, shut up. We're already scared enough, there's no need to make it any worse," I answered.

"What? I'm just saying," Bob replied. Layla nudged him in the arm, and he stopped talking. It didn't matter, I knew the damage was done. Now I was nervous. Dalton sensed it and he held my hand. It helped a little bit to know he was there. I felt just a little safer.

"I say when those doors open, we charge right through, and find the elevator," Dalton said. "Don't even try to fight any of them, just run. We only fight if we have to."

"That sounds like an alright plan Dalton," Bob replied. "What happens when we get to the elevator though?"

"We'll be fine," Layla said. "Let's just go with it, and Bob, please, shut up. You're not helping."

"Sorry, I feel I have to contribute something, because I'm not doing anything," Bob explained.

"You can contribute by shutting up," I told him. The doors opened and we ran right past a few zombie nurses, who seemed to be waiting for us. We rushed down the hallway, and turned a few corners. A few more zombies started to pursue us, and it was inevitable that we would have to fight them at some point. We finally got to the elevators, and Layla pounded the down arrow. We pressed our backs to the door and waited for the zombies to get to us. It reminded me of the police station, and I started wishing Jack was here with that riot shield.

There was four of them, one for each of us. We all charged them before they got to us. I hit one of the zombie nurses in the face with the trucks of the skateboard, and she went down. Dalton already had taken care of his, and turned in time to finish mine off too. Layla had killed the other zombie nurse, and Bob was on top of the other zombie, pounding away with his fists. Layla pushed him off and finished what he had started. The elevator doors opened, and we got inside. Thankfully, there were no surprise guests this time.

"Robert James Faust! What did I tell you!? No fighting!" Layla scolded. "Especially not with your hands! What if you would have cut yourself!? I don't need my boyfriend turning into a zombie!"

"I'm sorry Layla," Bob said, hanging his head.

"If you have sex with a zombie, is that considered necrophilia?" I asked. Everyone laughed at my joke. I knew none of them seen something like that coming out of my mouth.

"Well, in our case the zombies aren't dead, so I guess it wouldn't be," Layla explained, still laughing. The elevator doors opened, and we were back in the waiting room we first started at. We all ran full speed out the doors, and back outside. We had made it, and you could sense the relief within the group. We made our way back down the street, and towards the gas station where it all started. The station was now crawling with zombies, trying to find what caused the noise. We took the long way around, and got back on the road we were traveling on before. Finally, I felt safe, and I could tell everyone else did too.

"Okay, so my list of places to avoid continues to grow," Bob said. "Fuck hospitals, shopping malls, colleges..."

"Police stations," I added.

"Army bases would probably be bad," Layla said.

"I have a distinct feeling Walmarts are going to be on that list too," Dalton replied.

"Well, I guess we'll find out when we get there," Bob answered.

"God I feel disgusting," Layla said. "I'm covered in zombie blood and guts, and its just... icky."

"I know the feeling," I replied. "Dalton, can we stop at a clothing store if we find one?"

"Of course we can Jessie," Dalton answered.

"What if its like a men's clothing store?" Bob asked.

"I don't care, I feel nasty," Layla replied. "Anything is an improvement."

"Layla and I can make anything look hot, we're just good like that," I said. Layla and I exchanged a high five, and we continued down the road. A few miles down, and we seen a little shopping plaza on the side of the road. Layla and I seen the clothing store, and ran in, leaving the boys behind. Thankfully, it was a woman's clothing store, with halfway decent clothing. It wasn't the type of store I would normally shop at, but like Layla said, anything was an improvement at this point.

"I think we should make the boys break into a house pretty soon here, so we can take a shower," Layla said.

"That's a good idea Layla," I replied. "I don't think they'll argue."

"I didn't even think of it when we were at that last house," Layla said.

"I didn't either, I think we were just... Glad to be safe," I answered. "Okay, so honesty time Layla, did you and Bob..."

"Jessie! I told you! No we did not!" Layla shouted. "What about you? Did you and Dalton..."

"No, we didn't," I replied.

"Well, are you going to?" Layla asked.

"I don't know!" I exclaimed. "I was sort of waiting to get married before all of this zombie business happened."

"Really? That's quite noble of you Jessie. I would have never taken you as the old fashioned type,"

"Well, not a lot of other people ever did either, but I am. What about you Layla? while we're in the business of asking awkward questions."

"I knew that was coming. Well, I guess I'm not quite as old fashioned as you. I'll leave it at that."

During our girl talk, Layla and I took our time, and picked out a few outfits, just in case we needed them. Zombie apocalypse or not, I liked looking my best, and now that everything was free, it was impossible to resist the urge to go on a shopping spree. The boys came in after a little while. Layla and I were still trying stuff on. Layla was dragging Bob around like a puppy, and every time she asked his opinion on something, he would turn beat red. I couldn't help but laugh at him. We finally left the store, and started to head down the road again.

"What were you guys doing before you came in anyways?" Layla asked as we walked.

"Nothing," Dalton replied.

"Well, you were obviously doing something," I said.

"Just let it be a surprise Jessie," Bob answered.

"I don't like surprises Bob," I told him.

"My lips are sealed," Bob said. Layla and I tried our best to pry the information out of both of them, but neither of them would budge. Eventually we just gave up. It took a lot for me to admit defeat, but I figured if they had a secret like that to keep, it must have been worth it. Now I couldn't wait to get to where we were going. I had to know what it was, the suspense was killing me. Call me impatient, but I hated waiting for anything. Layla and I saw a house, and we made the boys stop there, so we could take a shower. Afterwords, I tried again to make Dalton tell me what he was hiding, but he still wouldn't budge. I give him credit, he knew how to drive me crazy... In a good way of course.