Nzambi of the Dead Part 3b
Nzambi of the Dead
Part Three (b)Day 126
Percival walked the empty hallways, carefully prying the doors open just enough to check in on the inhabitants taking up residence in them. His flashlight grazed the room in a slow manner, landing on a lump on the bed pushed to one side. Morgana lay curled on her side, her hand on the flashlight next to her. She had refused to share the same room as the psychotic Gwen, as she referred to the grief stricken young woman, ever since the day before and their close encounter with the zombie Sophia.
He closed the door, making no noise as he moved to the next room. Arthur and Merlin lay entangled under a thin sheet. Percival kept the flashlight directed to their faces and shut the door. He had one more room to check and he turned into another hallway. Gwen’s room was also quite; he turned the knob and slowly pushed the door open. His flashlight regained its regular routine and he swept the room until he spotted the small bundle on the twin sized bed.
Gwen’s dark curly hair could be seen sticking at the top of the blanket, a complete array of tangles. This time the flashlight stayed on the figure longer, Percival then scanned the room one more time, making sure the window was stilled boarded up. Satisfied that the girl had calmed down and would be better by the morning he returned to the main room.
Lancelot greeted him with a cup in one hand and a spoon in another. “Everyone is asleep?” He mumbled between chugging and munching.
Percival gave him one solid nod and took his spot across from him. It had been quite the two days, hectic and filled with nerve-racking events. After they had managed to calm down Gwen and kept her from leaving, all thanks to Lancelot, they had finished gathering supplies for their escape from the city. Everyone had taken turns keeping an eye on Gwen, Merlin was not allowed to stay alone with her and Morgana was denied a shift in guard duty. They were afraid that they would come back to find Gwen shot dead.
He stared at the three packs stuffed beyond capacity, rope and other items secured to them, and lay down on the couch, punching the stiff pillow to arrange it better. Lancelot finished eating and set the dirty dishes on the counter. Soon they were both fast asleep, their weapons close at hand.
Day 127
The sound of banging woke Lancelot; he shifted to his feet and nudged Percival awake. He gripped his gun, cocking it, and forced the last strands of sleep away as the banging got louder. Percival rushed to Morgana’s door, shaking her awake he moved back to the hallway where Arthur and Merlin were already standing with Lancelot.
“What is it? Where is Gwen?” Arthur asked, his blond hair sticking up in some areas.
“That is where it’s coming from.” Percival explained as he moved down the hallway towards the room that had been Gwen’s.
Arthur tugged at his boots, losing his balance as he tied the straps. Merlin pulled at his shirt and looked from one member of their group to the next and then back towards the sound. He moved closer to Lancelot while Arthur raced back to their room for his weapon. Morgana gripped her shotgun, the weapon feeling suddenly too heavy; she looked a complete mess having slept in her clothes.
Lancelot pushed Merlin back against the wall. “Stay here.” He joined Percival with Arthur close behind.
Percival pushed the door open; his eyes landed on the boards that had once barricaded the window, broken pieces lay on the floor mixed with shattered glass while the rest hanged on the wall still nailed in. The sun beamed brightly through the exposed window and Percival moved to it, dropping his gun as a zombie lugged at him.
He smacked the zombie in the face, making it tumble back into the alleyway, blood spewing from its mouth. Another pushed through, two following it as they tried to get to their new found prey. Percival punched the other zombie harder, snapping its jaw back before he picked up one of the broken boards and jammed it into its throat.
Lancelot and Arthur joined in as they snapped the necks of the other two zombies, while staying clear of their snarling teeth and fingers. Percival grabbed his gun and tugged at Arthur’s arm as more zombies crowded the window in an attempt to come in. Lancelot moved back as well shutting the door in an automatic reaction. They ran down the hallway, turning the corner and bumping right into Morgana and Merlin.
“Run,” Arthur shouted as he grabbed Merlin’s hand and led him down the hallway to the metal door.
“Where’s Gwen, what’s happening?” Merlin called out as he let Arthur lead him back to the main room. He looked back past Lancelot and the rest and his breath caught in his throat, his eyes widened in pure horror at the image behind them.
Percival lunged for the packs, grabbing one while Lancelot reached for the other one and swung it on his back. Morgana screamed as a zombie grabbed her, she swung around and shook herself loose. She shot at the zombie, missing his head and hitting it in the chest. The gunshot filled the room just as another one boomed right next to Merlin’s ear. Merlin clung to his ear as the ringing slashed through his brain.
The zombie fell and Morgana stumbled away from the rest of the undead quickly filling the hallway. She moved towards Percival and Lancelot, struggling to reload her shotgun. The casings fell to the floor and she cursed bending down to grab them. Three more zombies reached them and Percival grabbed the last pack swinging it against the three zombies, knocking them off their feet and against the wall.
At the sound of bones crushing, Arthur moved into action and tugged at the metal latch, Merlin doing his best to help him lift it. He pushed the door open, only to try and close it again as a horde of zombies met them on the other side. The gunfire had attracted a large number to them, the alleyway was completely overrun.
“Shit,” Arthur cursed as he nudged his gun through the opening and fired.
There were too many of them and the door was quickly jammed open with countless zombies. They had no choice but to find another way out. He left the metal door ajar, fought against the countless hands tugging at him and yanked Merlin to safety. Arthur managed to dodge a few of them and he forced his feet to move faster, he rushed past the rest of their group towards the hallway. The only alternative they had left was to fight through the smaller group of zombies before the rest caught up to them.
“Everyone to the roof,” He yelled over his shoulder as he kicked a zombie, letting go of Merlin only long enough to shoot two more zombies.
They managed to break through the crowd just as the rest of the undead filled the hallway. They took the stairs at a deadly pace, their hearts pounding in their ears along with countless footsteps. Percival jammed his empty gun through the handles of a set of double doors, allowing them a little more time. They headed up the last set of stairs towards the roof. Arthur and Lancelot scanned the rooftop for a way out, down, anything that would provide them distance from the horde of undead that would barge through the door in the next few minutes.
“This way,” Percival called out, pointing towards the fire escape, climbing over the edge and down the ladder.
The rest didn’t waste time and followed. They jumped down the last few feet, their hands scrapping the metal ladder and their feet pounding against the pavement. They made a run for it, clinging to the tall fence and climbing over it, the chains securing them shut rattled loudly as the fence shook with their weight. Arthur, followed by Morgana and Merlin, scrapped down the other side of the fence. Lancelot and Percival were the last to heave over it, tossing their packs first, and together they left the alleyways behind them.
It didn’t take long for the empty alley to fill with zombies; the undead rushed to the fence and clawed through the wire, huddling close together. Chunks of their flesh peeled off as they pushed against the new obstacle, piling on top of each other. The fence bent against the force and the latches holding it to the buildings on each side gave way, the metal bolts clanging to the ground. The zombies tumbled through, stepping on each other as they continued the chase.
Arthur and Lancelot ran ahead of the rest, shooting any zombies that raced towards them from the front. Merlin and Morgana ran behind them, their black hair easily noticeable in the chaos, with Percival taking up the rear. The big fellow moved rather fast for his size and kept back as many of the undead as he could.
The chase continued for a few blocks, every street they turned to seemed more and more occupied with the undead. Morgana reached for another shell and her heart sunk, she was almost out, her fingers grazed four more shells inside her coat pocket. She glanced back at the horde following them. Percival and Merlin were close behind her. Percival looked behind him as well; he cocked his gun and took a few more of the zombies down, their fallen bodies soon lost in the multitude of feet behind them.
Morgana looked back towards the front and her eyes widened. Ahead of them stood their car, she forced her feet to move faster and soon cut the distance between her and Arthur until they were next to each other. Suddenly there was a loud bang and the car was engulfed in black smoke, flames shooting up and around them in a wild dance.
“No,” She cried, unable to believe that their car was on fire.
They had intended to return to it knowing it still ran and had hoped it had enough gasoline for them to make it to the gate. Now their only hope was Lancelot’s motorcycle. Arthur looked through the smoke and fire at the ragged figure on the other side.
“Gwen?” He called out, his worried voice making Merlin move towards him and then to Gwen when he spotted her.
Gwen stood frozen in place, clothes all tattered and hands covered in blood. He started to move towards her when a zombie lunged at him. Before he could set himself loose another zombie joined and he fell to the pavement hard. His lungs tightened under the pressure and his arms tensed as he pushed against his attackers.
“Arthur,” Merlin shouted as he moved back towards Arthur, Gwen’s hand on his arm bringing him to a halt.
Morgana struggled to load her shot gun. She jammed another shell into the gun and aimed it up to Arthur. She pressed the barrel against the zombie’s head and pressed the trigger. Blood and chunks of flesh splattered all over her and on Arthur. Morgana raised her gun towards the other zombie, but was pulled back by another one, her feet flared in the air as she tried to yank free.
“Arthur,” Morgana yelled, this time it was her turn to ask for help as she struggled with the zombie attacking her.
Arthur managed to push the zombie off him and aimed his gun to its head, the zombie fell back dead. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, wiping the blood off his lips as best as he could. Another growl to his left and he fired again, killing another one, and rushed to his feet to help his sister. He frantically looked around, spotting his sister among several zombies and he let a few more shots loose before he too was cornered. He cursed as his eyes rested on his sister and their growing predicament.
“Aww,” Merlin yelled as Gwen lunged at him, her red eyes beaming down on him.
She sank her teeth into his arm, breaking skin and spilling blood into the pavement. Merlin struggled to yank Gwen off him; she bit harder, her nails digging into his forearm as she clung hungrily at his flesh. Tears cascaded down her cheeks and got lost among the blood smeared on them. The image of Sophia filled Merlin’s mind and he crawled back to his feet, Gwen still attached to his arm.
“Stop it Gwen,” He cried out and knowing it was useless to try and reason with her, Gwen was gone. He pushed at her with his free hand and tried not to notice the large amount of blood dripping down his arm.
Just as everything seemed lost, Percival and Lancelot managed to set Morgana free. She was untouched somehow and all three made their way towards Arthur and Merlin. The air filled with gun shots as many more zombies fell to the ground motionless. The gang regrouped, Arthur pulling Gwen off Merlin.
Lancelot aimed his gun at her but was unable to shoot, his hand shook as he remembered who she had been once, she wasn’t just any zombie, she had been someone he had known and cared about deeply. A shot rang out and Gwen fell to the floor, Morgana reloaded her shotgun with the last two shells and shoot another zombie.
With Gwen dead, it seemed like the trance was broken and everyone started to run once more. Even more zombies rushed out of the alleyways and barren streets to join the few zombies left standing. The streets were lost among the countless undead, decaying flesh yearning for blood and skin to gnaw at.
Lancelot’s motorcycle came into view and he reached for his keys, yanking them out he started the engine, the sound of the motor cut through the deadly air, giving them a renewed hope. Arthur reached for Lancelot’s bow and let loose the steel arrow still cocked in it. The zombie next to Lancelot fell back, the metal tip sticking from the back of his head. “You can thank me for that later.” He shot out, setting up the next arrow and aiming it on the next zombie.
“What do we do now?” Percival asked, catching the obvious that the motorcycle would not be able to carry five people.
“We cut our numbers.” Morgana said, the dryness in her voice coming out too natural. She aimed her shotgun at Merlin.
“What are you doing Morgana?” Arthur yelled getting in front of Merlin.
“This isn’t the time to argue Arthur, he is bitten. He either stays behind or we do him the favor and kill him now.” Morgana spat, raising her shotgun towards Merlin’s head. “What’s it going to be Arthur?”
“Neither. If you want the motorcycle then take it. I won’t let you kill Merlin.”
“This isn’t about the motorcycle.” She screamed, her hand starting to shake with anger. “Dammit Arthur, you willing to die for him, look what you got me into and all to look for him.” Tears started to stream down her face as she met her brother’s hopeless eyes.
“Hate to break up the family dispute, but we are sitting ducks here.” Percival said, catching the dangerous pace everything was going at, not to mention the still large horde of undead coming at them. He hit Morgana over the back of the head and shifted her body over the motorcycle, before climbing behind her. “Whoever is still coming needs to make up their mind quick, I will take her first and be back for you.” He called over the purring of the motor as he brought it to full throttle.
Arthur looked at Merlin and then at Lancelot. “I am staying with Merlin.” He said taking a step back.
Lancelot reached for the rest of his arrows and joined Merlin. “Never was the type to say goodbyes.” He replied swinging the bag over his shoulders.
“Take care of her.” Arthur called out to Percival as all three moved towards a building. Percival nodded and sped off towards the gate, a trail of zombies in his wake.
“Arthur,” Merlin struggled to say as he held on to his bloodied arm and tried to keep his stomach down. His knees gave in and he fell to his knees just as they turned the corner to the back of the building.
“Merlin,” Arthur called out to him, tearing a piece of cloth from his shirt and tying it around Merlin's cut. “I am not leaving you.”
Merlin half heard Arthur as he clung to his stomach and hurled, his mind blaring with voices of a man he still couldn’t remember.
“There is something about you Merlin,” Cenred said, a touch of admiration and uncertainty ringing in his words. “You’ve been bitten several times and yet you still remain human.”
“Let me out of here Cenred.” Merlin pled as he banged his hands against the door chained from the outside, his bloodied palms sliding against the cold frame. “Stop this. Let me out.”
“Not yet Merlin, we need to find out why only you. Why is it that the outbreak has no effect on you?” The man’s dark voice echoed from behind the thick door, the scrapping of feet behind Merlin making them seem farther away.
“Merlin,” Arthur whispered, kneeling next to the still kneeled over figure of his lover. “Merlin, are you ok?”
“Guys,” Lancelot called out, reloading his gun and handing Arthur the extra arrows he had taken from his motorcycle. “We got company.” He added as his eyes fell back on the zombies quickly filling up the alleyway.
Merlin’s eyes shined a gold color, the voices in his head stopped leaving the word ‘Stop’ echoing over and over in his mind. He slowly raised his head, their blue hue completely gone, and reached for an iron bar near his feet. The zombies seem to stop advancing and before they could move again Merlin sprang to his feet and swung it at one of the zombies, hard. Its neck snapped and it fell to the ground, its eyes completely black.
Footnotes: This short story will be revised heavily. Hope you found it entertaining either way and got the point of the title, if not here is a clue....Nzambi means "GOD." Thus the title reads God of the Dead. :)