"Terra Mortis" - Chapter 9

Terra Mortis

Chapter 9

By Dwayne MacInnes

"Stand down, Soldier!" Sarge yelled as he climbed in and took over starting the old truck.

Brady put Nori in his lap and Coop rested his M-16 on the floor in front of him.

Out of the windshield flaming figures began shuffling out the backdoor and towards the barn. The old farmhouse was now completely engulfed in flames. The truck still refused to turn over. More zombies started walking in from the field toward the barn. Brady could see the rotted faces of the dead. Their mouths open, their lifeless eyes staring at them. It was if they could see right into their souls.

Finally, the truck roared to life and Sarge stomped onto the accelerator. The venerable Dodge rocketed out of the barn hitting two flaming zombies. Sparks flew into the air along with a limb or two. Sarge turned out onto the main road leaving the rest of the moaning zombie herd behind them.

"What's going on?" Nori moaned softly as she regained consciousness.

Despite their very close brush with doom; Brady, Sarge, and Coop began to laugh.

Sarge drove the truck through the night on the deserted road. He risked using the headlights figuring it would be better than smashing into a tree. Brady gave the sergeant the directions to the cabin.

Rain started pelting the windshield around midnight. The moon disappeared behind some clouds. It was eerie driving down the deserted road with the rain splashing onto the windshield. The even rhythm of the wipers added their own music to the night. Occasionally, the eyes of some unidentified animal reflected the headlights' glare from the woods.

Coop was sleeping with his head against the door's window. Nori had resumed her sleep in Brady's lap. Sarge just stared ahead into the darkness looking for road signs that would lead them to the cabin. Brady felt his eyelids get heavier with each passing second. His head would begin to drop and he's snap it back up awake again. But sleep would not be deterred. Brady started snoozing with his chin on his chest.

The truck pulled up to the cabin in the early morning. The rain had finally stopped. As Sarge opened the driver's door the fresh clean smell of the forest rushed into the cramped truck.

"Looks, like we made it," Sarge pointed out.

Brady just nodded his head as he helped a weakened Nori out the driver's side. Coop opened his door and jumped to the ground. Brady then slid out next to Coop. Everyone took a minute to stretch-out their tight cramped muscles.

Brady fumbled in his pockets for his keys. He couldn't remember if he had locked the front door or not. After fishing out the keys Brady walked up to the cabin's door. It was already partially ajar. "Great," he thought, "I forgot to close the door. There are probably raccoons all over the place."

Sarge and Coop began unloading the truck. Nori sat in the driver's seat smiling at everyone.

Brady pushed the cabin's door completely open. The inside of the cabin was dimly lit by the light shining in through the windows. Brady stepped into the interior and walked over to the couch. Everything lay as he left it. The laptop was still on the coffee table, as were the remote and the phone.

A door creaked open upstairs. Brady quickly turned his head looking up to the balcony. That's when he saw them.

"Mom! Dad!" Brady yelled.

He ran up the stairs to their outstretched arms. He was so happy that tears started to flow down his cheeks. They had somehow gotten out alive. He couldn't believe it.

As he hit the top of the landing it hit him. The smell of decay shot through him like a bullet. He stood there stunned as the two undead parents grabbed their son. Their moaning echoed through the cabin. They drew Brady ever closer to their awaiting yellow teeth. "No!" Brady thought, "this cannot be happening."

"NO!" Brady screamed as he jumped up in the seat.

"Whoa, take it easy kid," Sarge advised as he started shifting down with the gears between Nori's and Brady's legs.

It was still night. The rain had stopped and they were now on a gravel road heading up a mountain. Coop and Nori were both awake now.

"Pretty bad dream, huh?" stated Sarge.

"Yeah," Brady responded.

"Well, if I followed your directions correctly we should be at the cabin in about an hour. That should bring us in about the time the sun rises," continued Ronald.

"I can spell you if you want. I can get us there," offered Brady.

"Nah, I'm alright. After we scout out the cabin and make sure it's secure then I'll take a nap."

"Sarge, how was it that you escaped anyhow?" Brady asked.

"I almost didn't. We sealed up that back door pretty damn tight. Thank goodness, we only boarded up the interior or I wouldn't have been able open it. As it was I only made it out a step or two in front of the zombies. Man, a burning zombie is something no one should every have to smell," smiled Ronald.

"Brady?" Nori asked weakly.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"It was nothing. I did come pretty close to killing you, you know," stated Brady sadly.

"Sarge told me all about it. First, of all you didn't and secondly, you were only following my last wishes. But please next time check to see if it is a zombie first that bites me," Nori laughed.

Her laugh was still fresh and bubbly. Brady couldn't help but laugh himself. Even Cooper and Sarge started laughing.

The sun had already broken over the mountain top as Sarge started pulling the truck up the private road to the cabin. Trees lined both sides of the road as it slowly wound its way to the secluded dwelling. Before the cabin came into view, Sarge pulled the truck to the side of the road. As the brakes squealed a bit, Sarge turned off the engine.

"I'm going to scout it out. No use walking into a structure that may be already occupied," Sergeant Greene said as he climbed out of the truck.

"Brady, you are in charge until I get back. If I'm not back in say an hour. Take this truck as far as possible from here."

Brady nodded and climbed out after Sarge. Nori and Coop were both out of the truck soon afterwards. Everyone started stretching and trying to bring life back into their legs that had fallen asleep from poor circulation.

Sarge reached into the back of the truck and pulled out the crossbow and Brady's bat. It was the first time that Brady really looked into the back of the truck. It was loaded with various boxes of supplies. There were lots of canned goods, ammunition, and medical supplies. There were also some books, games, and tools. A couple of jerry cans obviously filled with gasoline and other crates, boxes, and bags of stuff that Brady could only guess at. It looked like Sarge had tried to haul as much of the little town away as possible.

"I believe that stealth will be in order for this operation," Sarge smiled before he disappeared into the woods.

Brady grabbed his shotgun out of the back as well. It had been rained on all night. "I better clean it as soon as we get to the cabin," Brady thought.

Then he remembered his dream. What if it wasn't as secluded and secured as he had hoped? What if Sarge didn't return to the truck? That would mean the mantle of leadership fell upon him.

Brady looked over at Coop and Nori deep in conversation. He smiled to himself. "Well," he thought, "if he had to be a leader he couldn't have had a better group."

Coop did exceedingly well last night and Nori had saved his life at the roadblock. They knew their stuff and with Sarge's training over the last week Brady felt comfortable enough to know that he could do it. He did have a great example to follow.

Brady watched as Nori approached with the sheet still wrapped around her small frame.

"I have one question," Nori said as she walked up to Brady.

"Yes?"

"In all of the commotion that went on last night did you happen to bring me any clothes or was I to just dance around the rest of my life wrapped in a sheet?" she laughed.

Brady smiled and pointed to her backpack in the back of the truck.

"Everything should be there."

"Good if you don't mind, I'm going to change into something a little less comfortable." With that Nori grabbed her pack and climbed into the truck's cab.

"Now you peeping toms just keep a look out and not in while I'm changing," Nori yelled out the open door.

Nori jumped out of the truck just as Sarge was returning. She had her usual pink .45 belted around her waist and was in the process of strapping the katana to her back when Sarge walked up to the group.

"It looks all clear. I couldn't see much through the windows and the doors were locked so I could get a good look inside. But it looks pretty good," responded the sergeant.

"I guess I did lock the doors," Brady murmured to himself.

"What was that?" asked Ronald.

"Nothing, just thinking to myself."

"Say son, how is that a cabin? The thing's two stories tall, hardly the one room structure that Lincoln grew up in," Ronald joked.

The truck pulled up to the front of the cabin. Everyone bailed out of the truck anxious to set up a more permanent residence Brady fished in his pockets for his keys and handed them over to Sarge. The sergeant walked up to the door and unlocked it. He motioned for them to wait outside while he checked the interior.

Ronald slipped into the cabin. Brady watched through the door and could see Sarge move around inside as he searched the premises. Ronald disappeared from view as he entered the kitchen.

Suddenly Brady smelled it. It was the smell of rotting death coming from the cabin. He was at a dead run for the doorway when he heard the sergeant yell out.

"OH MY GOD!"

Brady ran through the doorway and into the living room. He looked over into the dining room/kitchen area to see Sarge closing up the freezer on the refrigerator.

"Son, the next time the power goes out throw out the meat."

Brady started laughing. In all the excitement he had totally forgotten about the two pounds of hamburger that he had brought with him to the cabin.