Zombie 2.0 1/2

The road stretched on and they followed the giant spotlight in the middle of the road.

“I don’t know who these people are, and hopefully they don’t shoot me, but I’m kind of thankful that they came along when they did.” Rev said peeking over the back seat.

Banana had taken her post in the passenger side with Dean driving. Deci was in the middle of the back seat looking up through the windshield at the chopper.

“I’m pretty glad that they came along too, I really wasn’t going to sacrifice myself, just so you know.” Banana said.

“We knew.” Dean said. He looked sideways at her and grinned.

They followed the chopper to what appeared to be a high school and it led them to giant chain link gates. They stopped while the chopper landed and then three different men in what appeared to be suits came to the gates and opened them up. The tallest one motioned for Dean to drive through.

They parked in front of the front doors to the building and then they got out of the car and stood around until the three suited men approached them.

“You guys are some lucky we came along when we did.” Said one of them. He had a southern accent.

“We know. And we are pretty damn thankful. You guys came out just in time. I can’t believe you have a bird though, how’d you get that sucker?” Dean asked admiring it.

“No Dean, you can’t have one.” Banana said.

“Oh come on.” He protested.

“No.”

The three men laughed.

“Old lady laying down the law eh?” the southern accented man said.

The four just looked at each other and laughed.

“Anyway, you better come inside with us. We’re not sure how long before ‘rush hour’ will start.” A second one said. He didn’t seem to have an accent. They recognized him as the one with the loud speaker.

The third man didn’t say very much, but he must have been the pilot. They could only assume because he was wearing what seemed to be giant earmuffs.

They followed the men in to the building and the southern accented man and the guy with the loud speaker shut up the doors and locked them up tight.

“So… you’re not going to shoot us are you?” Rev asked casually as they followed them down two flights of stairs into what appeared to be the basement. There to their right there was a room with a label on it that said “Chill Room.”

“No, why would we do that?” The southern one asked.

“Because… well it’s a long story, but check this out.” Rev lifted his shirt and showed the man where the patch was.

“Damn, that’s sick dude.” He said.

“I know. What was even better than surviving a bullet was surviving Deci’s stitch job.”

“I didn’t even stitch it!” She yelled.

“Good thing you didn’t.” he smiled at her. She flipped him off.

They went in to the room and the southern one shut the door. Inside the room were chairs and a table, and a couch. It looked like a tiny living room. It was a small room, but big enough to hold them all comfortably.

“So, where are you guys from?”

“Around here. We actually haven’t made it very far. We wanted to get to the mountain.” Dean said.

“Ah, shoot. You and every one else we’ve met.”

“What? Really?” Banana asked.

“Yeah, well we only ever met three other people. And they died, but still.”

“I see.” Banana looked around nervously.

“Don’t worry you guys are safe in here. Those things, they can’t get through here. It’s all fenced up and even if they did, we’re prepared. Our friend here was in the Marines, he’s got a lotta good-“

“That’s enough Norman.” The pilot had spoke for the first time.

They all turned to see him.

“Awe, come on. It’s not like they’re-“

“Will you excuse me and my friend for a second.” The pilot asked. He and the other two men went out in to the hallway.

“Wow. Marines.” Dean mused.

“What are we going to do if these guys suddenly turn on us? I mean that Norman guy seems pretty happy to see us but the pilot guy….” Deci trailed off.

“I don’t think they’ll hurt us.” Dean said. “I think if anything they haven’t seen people in awhile and they’re just happy to have company.”

“Uh, did you hear what they said? ‘only met three people, but they died’.” Banana said mocking the southern tone.

“Yeah well maybe they just didn’t get to them in time.” Rev said.

“Who knows, but what I do know is, if they wanted to kill us, they wouldn’t have saved us from the roof top.” Deci said.

“Unless they like their hamburgers fresh.” Banana said.

“You honestly think they’d eat us?” Rev asked now sounding a little worried.

“You’d be the first to go, cuz you’re skinny! They would save me and Deci for last!” Banana cried.

“Hey, if anything, us skinny people need to be saved for last, you know why?” Rev said looking at her.

“No, why?”

“Because we’re the tooth pick to clean out their teeth with. I will have escaped out the window, letting out a battle cry that even the Indians would fear. Through THAT window.” He pointed.

“You are fucking retarded.” Banana said.

“I know that, but at least im a prepared retarded guy.”

The door opened and the three came back in and Norman looked a little sober but when he saw them still standing there a light came back in his eyes.

“We’re sorry that you all have to live through this.” The loud speaker guy said. “It’s not fair to any of us, but if you think about it, it’s more fair then us being out there trying to eat our friends.”

“That happened anyways in reality. Didn’t you ever hear of the Donner party?” Rev asked.

“I have.” He said. And then looked off thoughtfully.

“Please, sit down. Do any of you want anything to drink? Or eat? We have plenty of food.” The pilot said.

At this point Banana nudged Deci and made a face that said ‘ Plenty of food?’

Deci nodded. Sure plenty of food, that’s why the last three people they knew went missing, of course they’d have plenty of food.

“I can tell you’re all a bit uneasy.” The Pilot said to Banana’s facial expression.

“Just a little. See, I got shot, by some people.. not too long ago.” Rev said. “We’re all a little on edge.”

“Well, that’s why we’re in this room. The boys call it a… chill room. I think you’ll feel at home with these two.” Pilot said again.

“So you’re not going to shoot me? Or well, any of us?” Rev asked.

“No, I won’t. And neither will they.” Pilot said.

“Who would shoot you? Do you know who they were?” Norman asked.

“No, we have no idea. We were stopped on the side of the road and all the sudden there was explosion and bright lights, and then Rev got shot.” Dean said.

“Well, you’re safe here.” Pilot said. “I have zed duty right now, rush hour and all. You two treat them like family.” Pilot nodded and left the room.

Norman and his friend grinned. They really did seem to enjoy the company.

“So… ever wonder why we’re here?” Norman asked.

Rev’s face lit up. “Here here?”

“No dude, universal here.” Norman said.

Deci narrowed her eyes. It was like a bad story.

“Nope, can’t say that I do… well unless I have a beer… you don’t-“

But Norman was up and out the door before Rev finished.

“So, despite my friend’s little outburst, how long have you guys known each other? You guys all meet up or?”

“Well, Rev and I have known each other for a few years. I dated his sister back awhile ago. And these two ladies-“ He stopped. “These two, because they’re not ladies, they’ve known each other for awhile. We met them on a high way. They were trying to save an X box from a burning car. Well Banana was. Deci was trying to fend off the zombies that didn’t give a rats nut about the X Box.” Dean said.

Banana grumbled. “And I would have gotten that X Box too, if it wasn’t for you …meddling… kids.”

The other guy smiled. “Yeah, I didn’t know Pilot or Norman before I got here. Pilot saved my ass, I was drowning actually. Long story, I was drowning myself..on purpose.. I didn’t wanna turn in to one of the dead, but I didn’t wanna live either…” he trailed off at the looks he was getting. “Well that’s kind of morbid so… Ever… wonder why we’re here?”

Norman busted through the door holding what appeared to be three brown bottles. Immediately the Rev stood up with a serious expression on his face.

“Are those?” He asked.

“They are.”

“What kind?”

“Guiness.”

“I … love…Guiness.” Rev

“You do? Most people hate it! I LOVE IT TOO!”

It was apparent that if Norman was a girl, Norma perhaps, that Rev would have married him. He would have no doubt in anyone’s mind, proposed at that very moment.

“This is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship.” Norman said happily.

“For as long as we’re here guys. Let’s not get carried away.” Dean said.

“DON’T YOU RUIN THE MOMENT DEAN!” Rev yelled. “YOU HAD YOUR PIE, YOU LET ME HAVE MY BEER AND BEST FRIEND!”

Dean laughed as he recalled himself saying the almost same thing to Banana.

“Well, you guys have fun with that beer. Anyone up for a game of go fish?” the other guy asked.

Banana and Dean both looked at each other and shook their heads.

“No I don’t play that game.” Banana said and made her way to the couch where Deci was now sitting.

Dean shook his head again. “Yeah, she’s a little bitter when it comes to losing.”

Rev and Norman looked like little kids the first day of kindergarten. They were talking about ‘times’ and ‘the old days’.

Deci was happy that finally he had someone to mingle with to keep him busy. She felt bad knowing what was going through his head.

No one else knew it, but at one point Rev had told her his zombie story. He explained that when the zombie out break happened, he had had a family. A daughter, three years old, and a wife. When the zombie’s happened, Rev was in the back yard digging a grave for the family dog who had just died. He had heard screaming and yelling and by the time he had gotten in to his family he had witnessed his daughter being killed. His wife was already gone.

She hadn’t told anyone about the misfortune he had. It wasn’t her place to and she had promised that she wouldn’t tell anyone until he was ready. No one needed to know, and you couldn’t tell just by look at him.

“Earth to December.”

When Deci looked over Banana was staring at her.

“What?” she asked.

“I was asking if you wanted to go out and check out zed duty.”

“Why would we want to do that? Aren’t we supposed to stay in the chill room?” She asked.

“I don’t see why we would have to.”

Dean came over and sat down in the middle of them and put his arms around them both.

“You two wouldn’t be thinking about sneaking out now would you?” he asked.

“No I wasn’t, but she’s all yours if you want.” Deci got up and joined Norman and Rev who were now drinking beers and playing cards.

Outer limits of High school

Dean and Banana had managed to go out and found Pilot who was smoking a cigar and watching the fields through his binoculars. He was a quiet sort of guy, older too at least late fourties. He was wearing Marines wear and combat boots.

“So Pilot,” Dean began, “How long have you been flying?” he asked.

“Almost twenty years.” He said.

“You like it?” Dean plopped down next to him and Banana did too. She didn’t mind listening. She had things to think about.

“I did. Now it’s not so much a hobby. Course it wasn’t before, it was all mission. I was a fighter pilot… been in some wars. Been shot at, but nothing like this. Nothing like the zeds.”

Dean nodded.

“I heard about it, when I was younger I thought maybe something like that could happen if maybe the government let something get out of control. Maybe they did but who the hell would know, you know? No one is left to tell us. I mean shit, I have seen people come and go through here. Most won’t stop. Most don’t want help. Most are too scared and don’t trust no body. Those people who were after you? There will be more people like that. It aint always the hero that lives. There are bad guys too.”

They continued talking about the ways of the world and soon Banana was catching a nap.