Chapter 5
Marcus’s father looked at the gas and was a little worried when it read empty. The car was not well known for its gas mileage and stopping now could mean the difference between life and death. Dem was ahead of the car; his head was useful for clearing other cars off the road. Marcus’s father did not want to pull over for fear of the beast moving on without them but he needed to pull over to get gas. He tried to signal Marcus and his message was heard. Dem slowed down when the road was clear and he and the car were side by side. Marcus’s father slowed down to a halt and turned the car off. He yelled, “We need gas. This thing’s a guzzler and it was already close to empty when we started.”
Dem said, “There’s another gas station at the next exit, we’ll get off the highway there and try to find one that’s still in service.”
“I didn’t see it. But by all means, lead the way.”
Dem moved at a light trot until the car could pick up some speed, then he changed lanes and moved for an exit. The father did not heed the stop sign and skidded as the tires lost traction. They made their way around the corner and Marcus’s father could see the yellow shell on a red field. The car pulled into the station and Dem leaned his head down so Marcus could jump off. He took the pistol out of his pocket and told Dem, “You know the drill; if it limps its way over here, kill it.”
Marcus started to walk, but remembered how his ankle was almost broken by Dem’s tail. He turned and added, “Except for me,” and marched over to his family. He started to walk toward the convenience store next to the station and Dem placed his tail in front of him. He said, “You’re staying where I can see you.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes, really. I know you can handle yourself, but I don’t want to have to kill more friends than I already have.”
“Come on, give me a-” he was cut off as Liz took the hunting rifle and shot it into the building, where a man with a double barrel shotgun was taking aim at Marcus. He fell to the ground and Marcus made to check his pulse. He walked into the building and found that the man must have tied his family to the chairs that were on sale for $6.66. They all had cloth wrapped over their heads. Marcus pulled one of the straps off and fired at the undead that hissed at him. He checked the other prisoners and killed them all with the only mercy he could give them. He collected what food was on the shelves. He grabbed everything the average survivalist in Armageddon needed: three large packs of water, all the boxes of food he could carry, a first aid pack, and a rifle he found with ammo under the counter. He also grabbed the shotgun and ammo on the crazy man. All of the supplies he could get, he packed in the convertible’s small trunk or in his seat. After Marcus’s father filled the tank and three red tanks he strapped to the side of the car, Marcus ran into the store one last time. He grabbed a duster that was hanging in the closet behind the counter and threw it over his back. He ran out and climbed onto Dem’s neck.
They turned out and headed for the highway yet again. Marcus looked around the area for any signs of life, but the only movement around him was the hundreds of undead slowly marching toward some unknown place. He noticed that they were all headed in a similar direction as Dem and the car. He was worried, but decided to move now and kill the undead later. They continued to head westward. Marcus knew that since their last incident, the lab was always guarded by the military. This meant that the military knew about the blast and knew that their experiments were blasted into the atmosphere. They must have military bases built somewhere, and Marcus remembered an old church in the heart of the state that was well defended already. It was surrounded by a brick wall and held a two inch thick wood gate, as Marcus remembered it. He marked it on a map he took from the building and told Dem, “Take the exit a few miles away, exit 35A, and keep to the right so we get off at the third exit after that, exit 54.”
“35A and 54, got it. Is there a reason we’re going there? I thought we were supposed to go to the mountains if this ever happened. What gives?”
“There’s a church near here that’s got a good sized wall around it, we can defend ourselves from almost anything in there.”
“Alright, but I don’t want to stay long. We might meet some old friends there, old friends that I don’t wanna meet twice.”
Marcus knew about how Dem would always get into fights with the guards and usually ended up in a cast. He also knew that both of them were draft dodgers and the military probably knew it. Marcus held on as the road cleared up and Dem sped up. The car was right behind them, and Marcus was pleased to see the fear leave his father’s eyes. Now all he cared about was their survival. Nothing more and nothing less. Dem found the exit they were supposed to take and turned into it. He used his tail to sweep anything that could slow the vehicle down off the road and slowed down so the car could follow. Marcus’s father didn’t show the usual angry face when one of them took a wrong turn in the past. Instead, he just accepted it and followed them without question. Marcus wondered if he knew where they were going. The other exit was in sight when Dem stepped on a car, slipped, and sent Marcus airborne. He landed on Dem’s tail, but the impact was strong enough to knock him out. Marcus’s vision blurred and turned black. The last thing he saw was Liz’s head crying over him and a great gold eye that looked like a miniature sun.
The queen wept as the child of the damned led his army of flaming corpses onward. In but a single mighty wave, the army overtook the city, slaughtering men, women, and children at will. Every building was set alight and every great symbol of pride, love, and virtue was torn to the ground. All that remained untouched was the queen’s castle, where the child wished to end his great pain.
Dem said, “There’s another gas station at the next exit, we’ll get off the highway there and try to find one that’s still in service.”
“I didn’t see it. But by all means, lead the way.”
Dem moved at a light trot until the car could pick up some speed, then he changed lanes and moved for an exit. The father did not heed the stop sign and skidded as the tires lost traction. They made their way around the corner and Marcus’s father could see the yellow shell on a red field. The car pulled into the station and Dem leaned his head down so Marcus could jump off. He took the pistol out of his pocket and told Dem, “You know the drill; if it limps its way over here, kill it.”
Marcus started to walk, but remembered how his ankle was almost broken by Dem’s tail. He turned and added, “Except for me,” and marched over to his family. He started to walk toward the convenience store next to the station and Dem placed his tail in front of him. He said, “You’re staying where I can see you.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes, really. I know you can handle yourself, but I don’t want to have to kill more friends than I already have.”
“Come on, give me a-” he was cut off as Liz took the hunting rifle and shot it into the building, where a man with a double barrel shotgun was taking aim at Marcus. He fell to the ground and Marcus made to check his pulse. He walked into the building and found that the man must have tied his family to the chairs that were on sale for $6.66. They all had cloth wrapped over their heads. Marcus pulled one of the straps off and fired at the undead that hissed at him. He checked the other prisoners and killed them all with the only mercy he could give them. He collected what food was on the shelves. He grabbed everything the average survivalist in Armageddon needed: three large packs of water, all the boxes of food he could carry, a first aid pack, and a rifle he found with ammo under the counter. He also grabbed the shotgun and ammo on the crazy man. All of the supplies he could get, he packed in the convertible’s small trunk or in his seat. After Marcus’s father filled the tank and three red tanks he strapped to the side of the car, Marcus ran into the store one last time. He grabbed a duster that was hanging in the closet behind the counter and threw it over his back. He ran out and climbed onto Dem’s neck.
They turned out and headed for the highway yet again. Marcus looked around the area for any signs of life, but the only movement around him was the hundreds of undead slowly marching toward some unknown place. He noticed that they were all headed in a similar direction as Dem and the car. He was worried, but decided to move now and kill the undead later. They continued to head westward. Marcus knew that since their last incident, the lab was always guarded by the military. This meant that the military knew about the blast and knew that their experiments were blasted into the atmosphere. They must have military bases built somewhere, and Marcus remembered an old church in the heart of the state that was well defended already. It was surrounded by a brick wall and held a two inch thick wood gate, as Marcus remembered it. He marked it on a map he took from the building and told Dem, “Take the exit a few miles away, exit 35A, and keep to the right so we get off at the third exit after that, exit 54.”
“35A and 54, got it. Is there a reason we’re going there? I thought we were supposed to go to the mountains if this ever happened. What gives?”
“There’s a church near here that’s got a good sized wall around it, we can defend ourselves from almost anything in there.”
“Alright, but I don’t want to stay long. We might meet some old friends there, old friends that I don’t wanna meet twice.”
Marcus knew about how Dem would always get into fights with the guards and usually ended up in a cast. He also knew that both of them were draft dodgers and the military probably knew it. Marcus held on as the road cleared up and Dem sped up. The car was right behind them, and Marcus was pleased to see the fear leave his father’s eyes. Now all he cared about was their survival. Nothing more and nothing less. Dem found the exit they were supposed to take and turned into it. He used his tail to sweep anything that could slow the vehicle down off the road and slowed down so the car could follow. Marcus’s father didn’t show the usual angry face when one of them took a wrong turn in the past. Instead, he just accepted it and followed them without question. Marcus wondered if he knew where they were going. The other exit was in sight when Dem stepped on a car, slipped, and sent Marcus airborne. He landed on Dem’s tail, but the impact was strong enough to knock him out. Marcus’s vision blurred and turned black. The last thing he saw was Liz’s head crying over him and a great gold eye that looked like a miniature sun.
The queen wept as the child of the damned led his army of flaming corpses onward. In but a single mighty wave, the army overtook the city, slaughtering men, women, and children at will. Every building was set alight and every great symbol of pride, love, and virtue was torn to the ground. All that remained untouched was the queen’s castle, where the child wished to end his great pain.