Jamison and Morrow came to, sunlight peaking through the hoods that covered their heads. Their arms and legs were bound as they sat leaning against a brick wall, dazed and confused.
The sound of footsteps on gravel caught their attention, their muscles stiffening at the sound. The footsteps seemed to stop about five feet away, then silence. For countless seconds there was nothing but the sounds of the wind and the birds. Finally, a voice broke the calm.
“Killing the scientists was your first mistake,” said the ominous voice.
The two men struggled with their bonds to no avail.
“You left us to die. That was your second.”
“Who are you? What do you want?” said Morrow angrily.
The footsteps moved closer, stopping right next to the men, the sound of breathing the only noise.
“They call me the Seeker,” said the voice quietly. “And I’m the last person on this god forsaken planet you should have messed with.”
Suddenly, the footsteps retreated, stopping again a few moments later. The sound of metal rang out as something fell to the ground.
“If you can find this knife, you can free yourself from those bonds.”
The footsteps sounded again, heading away from the men.
“You should have killed me when you had the chance,” the voice called out. “Payback’s a bitch.”
Seconds later, there was the sound of a door opening and closing, and then silence.
Morrow sat against the wall confused, struggling with his bonds.
“What the hell was he talking about?” he yelled through the hood.
“Shut up and help me find that knife,” said Jamison angrily.
The two men fell onto their sides and inched their way in the direction where they heard the metal strike the ground. After a few minutes, Morrow called out.
“I have it!”
“Move over to me,” said Jamison.
Doing so, the men ended up back to back as Jamison worked to cut his bonds.
As the ties began to break, the familiar sound of a rotor broke the silence.
“No,” said Jamison. “NO!”
Struggling with the last of his bonds, he listened as the sound of the helicopter’s rotors increased. His hands free, he pulled off his hood, the bright light temporarily blinding him. Grabbing the knife, he cut his legs free and jumped up, just as the helicopter began to rise from the adjacent rooftop.
“Nooooooo!” screamed Jamison as the helicopter rose into the sky, hovering above them.
“What? What’s going on? Cut me loose Jamison!”
Leaning down, he cut Morrow’s hands free and dropped the knife on the ground next to him.
“You son-of-a-bitch,” muttered Jamison.
Pulling off his hood, Morrow squinted as he cut the ties on his feet.
“Where the hell are we?” he asked.
Jamison said nothing as he slowly walked across the gravely surface to a low wall nearby, Morrow following close behind. Above them, the helicopter still hovered.
“No,” whispered Morrow. “Oh god, no.”
Standing at the wall, high above the streets, the two men looked out over the grounds of the Pennsylvania Hospital where thousands of zombies pressed against the walls and fences.
Morrow looked for a moment then collapsed to the ground, his head in his hands, weeping.
Connor sat in the co-pilot’s seat watching the two figures as the helicopter rose into the air. Keeping the gun trained on the pilot, he instructed him to hover as he watched the men below get to their feet and walk to the edge of the roof.
After a minute, he turned to the pilot.
“Take me home,” he said.
Connor looked back to the men as the helicopter turned to leave. Locking eyes with the Jamison, he smiled, knowing that he could see him. Moments later, the helicopter soared off, the two doomed figures fading in the distance.
Doug and Diana sat in Connor’s apartment, nervously watching the door.
“He should be back by now,” said Diana nervously.
“Relax,” said Doug, scratching Monty’s ears as he spoke. “He’ll be back.”
Diana paced nervously around the room, straightening up the apartment in an effort to keep her mind off the possibilities.
“Would you sit down,” sighed Doug. “He’ll be back. I know him.”
Diana reluctantly walked over and sat on the couch next to Doug, instinctively leaning over and petting the happy gray tabby.
“So what’s next?” she asked. “I mean, with the ZOMBIE OFF and all?”
Doug thought about the question for a second before responding.
“We do what Morrow should have done all along. We share the formula with the world. We spread the word.”
“And what about the Chemcorp facility? If we can take it back, I might be able to continue the research.”
“We can try. We might be able to open the gates and lead the swarm out, just like we led them in. Maybe we can even figure out how to manufacture the ZOMBIE OFF.”
Diana nodded, smiling.
“It could even become a viable safe zone, considering it’s backup power sources. One thing I do know, there’s probably a lot of ZOMBIE OFF sitting in that one building. That’s worth going back for in itself,” said Doug
Diana nodded again and moved closer to Doug, curling up in his arms.
“I just wish he’d hurry up and get back,” she muttered.
Another 30 minutes passed when suddenly they heard the faint sound of a helicopter, causing Doug to smile. Quickly, the sound grew until it was right on top of them.
After a minute, the sound died down and stopped completely, and a few minutes after that, the door to the apartment swung open. Immediately Monty jumped down and raced over to greet Connor. Reaching down, he stroked the cat’s fur as he purred happily.
Straightening up, he was nearly bowled over by Diana as she wrapped him in a hug. For the first time, Connor hugged her back.
“Is it done?” asked Doug.
“It’s done,” replied Connor, nodding.
Moving to the sofa, he set his katana on the floor and plopped down, exhausted.
“You want something to drink, guys?” asked Diana. “I think we have water or warm beer,” she said, smiling.
“Beer,” yelled Connor and Doug together.
Reaching into the fridge, Diana grabbed three beers and walked back into the room, handing them out.
“To the downfall of Abe Morrow,” she said, holding out her beer.
The three slapped cans and all took a drink.
“I hate warm beer,” muttered Connor.
THE END . . . for now
The story continues with
ZOMBIE OFF 2 - REVELATION
About the Author
Scott Lee is a 1986 graduate of Slippery Rock University with a BA in Anthropology. He's a professional archaeologist who's hobbies include drumming, motorcycle riding, ATV's, hiking, and disc golf. He is a huge fan of the Walking Dead and loves to read zombie novels while preparing for the impending zombie apocalypse.
Connect with Me Online:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scott.lee.359126
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RSLZombie
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