Zombie Apocalypse: Rising Heat

The amount of brush in the area had to have been huge to leave this much ash and soot. Even after the heavy rain that swept the area, the smell of charred wood still permeated everything in the sizable clearing. The wind carried bits of ash as it blew toward him off of what his experienced eye told him were the remains of improvised structures near the middle. That broken circle of rocks nearby was probably a fire pit used for cooking. What was left of that contraption hanging from the trees was a mystery though. Some manner of defense, most likely, but not enough of it left to tell what kind it may have been.
But the most baffling thing was the pile of bodies. Well, bones anyway. The rest was just shriveled tissue and a glaze of melted fat. Despite the large open space, all of them were up against a rock sticking out of the side of the hill. Didn't seem to be anything on top of the hill to draw them, and they would probably have just gone around anyway. It wasn't exactly hard to get up there.

"Why would they do that?" he wondered aloud.
"Huddling away from the fire. I can only imagine how horrible it would be. Surviving the nightmare that the world's become only to die like this? It's...just wrong." Her voice broke a bit at the end which prompted him to look up at her. Green eyes close to tears stared out from underneath her reddish brown hair at the mess before her. Rising from where he was crouching, he briefly patted her on the shoulder. Good girl. Strong. Just cared too much sometimes.
"I wouldn't feel too bad about it, Val. Those weren't survivors."  Her eyes widened in surprise. "Look at the ground. What's missing? What would survivors have that's not there?" A couple minutes passed with her pacing back and forth examining the ground, the near tears of a minute before now replaced with an analytical eye. Finally stepping back beside him, she still stared at the ground as though looking.
"Weapons?"
"Right on the first guess. Even if they didn't all have guns, they still would have had something to defend themselves with. Blades, crowbars, ax heads, hammers. None of that would succumb to this much heat. " He gave her a small smile of encouragement. "So the question becomes..."
"What would zombies find so important about that rock?" she finished after a moment.
"Right again."
"Well, if you want to know, then just take a look." The low voice of the man with a mohawk came to them as its owner strode across the field. Always a blunt one, aren't you, Wadey? The big guy headed straight for the rock, seemingly unconcerned by the crunching and squelching of bone and ruined flesh beneath his boots. Val looked ill. Leaving Wadey to his grim inspection, he turned back the way he had come from.

"Find anything?" That was addressed to Swift. Perhaps the most nondescript man he had ever seen, he thought it might be impossible to pick him out of a crowd. He seemed to have no outstanding features whatsoever. An average face on a body with an average build. So overwhelmingly ordinary that he seemed to almost disappear whenever he stood next to other people. Frankly it was a little disturbing. Still, it was good to have him around.

"Not much. The only used trail is the one we followed up here, and you already know that someone's been along it since the rain. Yesterday at latest, you said. You find anything here, Watch?" Rrwatch, he corrected silently, and let it pass. It wasn't important, and a man of his age had learned not to waste energy on pointless squabbles.
"Little more than we already knew. Definitely a zombie attack, though no saying what flavor with everything here reduced to muck. There must be close to 40 of them piled around that rock, with I don't know how many more outside that ring of heavy ash. It was a heck of a fight, I'm thinking.
"This camp's been up and going for a long while. At least a few months. Thinking at least 5 occupants. Those who came here yesterday didn't stay long. Just surveyed the place quickly and turned right around and left. Either they knew there was nothing to loot, or they had some place else to be in a hurry. Weird thing is that rock over there."

There was a loud thud from the direction of the rock in question. Wadey had thrown himself against it, it would seem.

"I think it moved." said Val. They all shared a look. Without another word, Swift went to join Wadey by the rock, though he hedged around the outside of the mess and picked his way through instead of just trampling on it. The two younger men set their feet as best they could and heaved. The rock did indeed move. Backwards into the hillside perhaps an inch or two. Nothing seemed to have shifted in the rock face above, so apparently it was safe. They heaved once more, this time getting more than a foot of the way in. A faintly musty scent crept out of the new hole and mingled with the ash. The air inside was going bad, but only just starting. Cave must have been open until recently. One last heave and it slid in all the way.
"I need light," rumbled Wadey, drawing one of the hand axes he kept on his belt and holding out his other hand for a flashlight. Swift pulled his pack open and retrieved two from it, handing one over.
Rrwatch shrugged at Val--Nothing for it but to follow.--and readied his rifle. She took the cue and unholstered her own handgun.

The inside of the cave was cool and smelled of water, a welcome change from the burnt gore and ruin above. A faint rushing sound in the distance meant the possibility of an underground stream. Rrwatch took the lead, scanning the cave floor while the others watched ahead.
"Hold up. Tracks."
There in the dust was a clear boot print. Another nearby, a different size. And there, an animal track. Dog of some kind. No telling how old these were, but he'd be willing to bet it was no more than a handful of days. The night they'd seen the fire and decided to come to investigate.
Turning the corner brought a sudden increase in the sound of water. A little light showed a strong stream of water bursting out of the wall along the right of the path and falling down into what appeared to be a lake. Carefully making their way down confirmed it. A sizable cavern with an underground lake spread before them.

"It's a shame what happened to the place," Val said. "Good location, natural spring water from in here, easy hunting area."
"Is that a tunnel out there?" Wadey pointed toward the far wall of the cavern. Swift added his light to Wadey's.
"Looks like it."
"What's that noise?"
"What noise, Watch?"
"It's like a wooden thumping. Like something hitting a log." They shined their lights around the nearby shore. "There." Not far away was a piece of wood caught on a protruding bit of cave wall in the water, the waves batting it against the side repeatedly.
"Just some wood." said Wadey dismissively.
"Look closer. It's been worked into a rough paddle shape. They most likely had a canoe or boat down here."
"Brilliant! All that other stuff, and a shelter with an escape route. This place is gold! Give me some light here. I wanna check the map." Val pulled the weathered map from her backpack and carefully unrolled it. The film advertised on the outside had long since missed its showing, but the back of the poster had found new life as pretty durable map. They'd put it through the mill though. It would need to be copied soon. After a minute's inspection, she announced confidently, "I'm almost certain this lets out the cave at Label Lake. If they took a boat down it, and it didn't branch off somewhere else too, then they would be just outside the city when they came out."
"That's a pretty big if, but I think it's worth a look. What about you two? Up for a bit more tracking?"
"You're the boss." came the rumble. Swift contented himself with a nod, barely visible in the light.
"There's no other boat or we'd be able to follow them easy enough. We've got time. Let's get back to town and set up for the night."

A couple hours later they were walking down the deserted city streets. The afternoon heat pressed down on them, making each step more of an effort than it had any right to be. Strange how they hadn't seen any zombies. There was almost always a few that needed put down, but not a single one was to be found today. Come to think of it, the earlier trip in the morning had been just as uneventful. He wanted to believe it was a sign of things getting better. So, why was worry creeping along next to him like an itch between his shoulder blades? The empty windows of homes and businesses so long left untended seemed like hollow, sunken eyes watching their procession silently. As the sun began to sink lower in the sky they started searching for a place to take for the night, settling at last on a nearby bar.
The side window was broken, but that seemed the only visible weak point, easily blocked off. Inside held its own surprise though. Dust and rotted bits of cloth marked the resting place of at least four Shamblers. Someone had fought here a while back. Well, if it had been assailed, then maybe it wasn't the best spot.

Taking some of the liquor left inside, they made their way across the street to a nearby apartment building and onto the roof through the fire escape, pulling it up behind them and blocking off the roof access door. They were just settling in when the wind shifted and brought them a horrific stench that left them choking and coughing as quietly as they could manage.Thankfully the wind shifted again shortly after, but no one was eager for their meal anymore. In fact, Swift decided to empty his stomach over the side of the building.
"What is that?" he asked, pointing off down the street a couple blocks away.
"Where?"
"There. In front of that firehouse. Looks like a big mound of flesh. You think that's what's causing that smell?" The wind chose that moment to change again, most definitely coming from that direction, and sending them scrambling to cover their noses and Swift into dry heaves.
"Let's get inside. It's dangerous, but we can't stay out here. We can do something about that thing tomorrow."
"You're the boss, Watch."
They went to unbar the door inside, but a slight tremor running though the ground brought them up short. Looking out in the failing light they could just barely see it.
The mound was moving.

Zombie Apocalypse: Glowing Embers

The stench was coming from this way, no question. Worse than anything yet. What on earth could be causing it? A slight movement against his collarbone told him that his little pal shared his discomfort.
"Cover your nose, Boo. This place reeks of evil." He'd just been joking, but the rodent actually nestled deeper under the over sized collar of his coat. Sometimes he wondered if it actually understood more than the simple commands he'd taught it. Pulling out a spare mask he placed it atop the one he had on. Better than nothing. Katana drawn, he made his way deftly over the gore strewn tiled floors. Most of it was dried, but here and there a juicy bit remained to slip up the unwary. Not surprising, really. The ill and injured couldn't have run very fast.
Looks like the morgue's residents got up for a snack when all this started. Or maybe some of those Virals had caught the madness first. No matter. With any luck whichever it was would have long since moved on. Trusting to luck is a fool's path, and a fool's path always ends abruptly. He slowed down his stealthy run to a walk to make even less noise. Still, his steps sounded loud in his own ears.

The flashlight flickered briefly as he checked his route. A few steps, flicker. A few more, flicker. No need to waste the battery or announce his arrival more than he had to. Not like he could see clearly beyond a short ways even with the light. The flashes revealed white halls, floors, and the occasional chairs whenever he passed a nurses station. Well, they would have been white. The four months since the ZA hit had seen the halls and rooms left untended, though not uninhabited. Black streaks of dried blood marred the walls more frequently as he pressed onward, and the scent actually managed to gradually grow worse. Turning the corner toward the cafeteria suddenly showed him why.
Filling the hallway from side to side and nearly floor to ceiling was a...thing? A mass of flesh. A hop showed him it went as far as he could see down the corridor, and even seemed to branch off to side paths. Bright red veins stood out starkly on the otherwise smooth mass for a moment before the color and texture changed. Between one blink and the next it has shifted from the pinkish red of growing flesh to the greenish grey of decay. Now back again. What could this thing be? Those red veins make it seem related to the Virals. Something new they've mutated into? They've got to know about this. But we need those supplies too. Have to find another way around.

Twice more in the trek towards the pharmacy the weird biomasses halted his progress and forced a detour. Neither showed any more sign of moving than the other, but he sneaked quietly by them anyway.
As the not quite lone warrior neared his goal there was a subtle, but increasingly loud groaning of wood and metal. Very aware of being on the fifth floor, he took his stride back up to a run, which nearly made him slam into the pharmacy counter that he found to be in front of him.
GGGRROOAAANN! It seemed to be coming from somewhere higher up.
Antibiotics, penicillin, and various other meds flew into the pack as fast as he could get them.
GGGGRRROOOAAAAANNN!
Wasting no time, he dashed down a nearby hallway which showed light at the end's T intersection. Light meant windows. Windows meant outside. Static at his hip turned to a worried voice.
"Ninjas! Can you hear me? What's going on in there?" He held down the button to reply.
"Don't kn--"
GRNNN--CRACK!
Only his quick feet kept him from being flattened by the sudden entrance of a biomass crashing through the ceiling. Frantically backpedaling away from the crumbling floor ahead of him, he manged not to be carried over the edge as the biomass hit the floor and kept right on going. The crunch of something inside snapping accompanied by the sound of flesh tearing filled his ears. The smell sent a wave of nausea over him that nearly caused him to empty his stomach into his mask. Which might have been preferable to the shaking starting up. He slammed the button down on his walkie-talkie and began running down the opposite hall.
"This place is losing it, Cel. Get away from here."
"What about you? I'm not leaving without you."
"Great, but I didn't plan on staying. Now move!" Skidding to a stop in front of a broken window, he looked out at ground below for only a moment. That tree would have to do. He sheathed his weapon and pressed the small lever that would lock the blade in place as he took the sheath from behind his back. From his right sleeve he pulled a length of cable and unfastened the claw at the end from his cuff. The shaking worsened which made the job of attaching it to the catch on the sheath no easier, but at last it was done. The groaning of the building threatened to deafen him.
As the floor began to give way he leaped from the window, hurling the sword end over end into the nearby oak. Blessedly, it caught among the old, gnarled branches. Debris rained down around him, some striking as he spiraled around the tree. Something heavy hit him in the side causing him to spin unexpectedly. No way to get oriented in time. His right side slammed heavily into the trunk and everything exploded in pain.

The world came ever so slowly back into focus. Mostly. Everything kept sliding along to his sides sending little jolts of pain through his body. What was happening? He was laying down, but still moving? Movement on his chest caused him to look down. There sat Boo bouncing along with the rocking movement. The little green bandana he'd made for him waved slightly. The little fur ball crouched on top something. Cloth straps encircled his chest and he could see more further down on his feet. A gurney? He shifted his weight and the pain flared up anew. He growled and ground his teeth.
"Finally awake, huh?"
"Do I want to be?"
"Probably not. But it's better than not waking up at all." Apologizing for the bumps between gasping for breath, Cel pushed the gurney along the road at a good clip. "Sorry, but we've got to put distance between here and what's left of that place. If that wasn't enough noise to draw them I don't know what will be."
"My sword? The supplies?"
"The meds are on my back, and your pointy stick is with them, don't worry," she smirked halfheartedly. "Had to cut the cable though. Too tangled. And the rig looks busted besides. You'd ask about that before your own injuries?"
"I think my arm's broken."
"It is. Your whole right half is good and bruised too. But at least you're awake. That's a good sign. That was a plum crazy thing to do though."
"Sometimes the fool's path is the only one left to you."



What is that infernal buzzing? Oh, the radio! Yes.
"Say again, please. There was, um, some static," said the man, pulling his nose out of the book for the first time in hours. How long had that thing been squawking? No matter. He'd gotten to it eventually. "This is Jolli. Say again, please. Um, over."
"Thank God! Jolli, are you still in the place we left you?"
"Yes, yes. Um, over." Somehow the momentary silence from the radio suggested a rolling of eyes on the other end. No call for that. He'd answered, hadn't he?
"Look, Ninja is hurt. We're going to have to hole up there for the day at least. No way we can make it back to camp by nightfall. We should be just up the road from you. Could you and the kid unblock the doors for us please?"
"Of course. Won't take a minute. There's nothing outside, right, Kid?" he asked as he turned towards the scrawny teenager sitting by the ground level window. Jolli waited for the kid's coughing to stop before repeating the question.
"Saw a few earlier. Didn't pop them because we don't need the noise. Too little ammo. Might still be out there."
"Well, you stay here and cover them, okay? They should be coming into sight. I'll go unbar the door." He hurried up the steps while ignoring Kid's grumbling about escort missions or something like that. Ducking his frame through the door up from the basement to the main hall, he set about removing the large tables and shelves pushed against the large double doors of the library's front entrance. This is good solid wood. I could make something from this. Maybe good supports for the glider wings, if that ever gets off the ground, or perhaps reinforce the--
The muffled voices from outside jarred him from his thoughts and he quickly finished his task. He opened the door just in time to see Ninja sitting up on a gurney with the aid of Cel on one side and using his sword as a crutch on the other. Those wheels could be useful too.
"How bad is it, Ninja?"
"Just some bruises and a broken arm. I'll live."
"Good, good! And how's the rig?"
"Busted," said Cel. "I had to cut the cable too. But it did save him out there."
"Well, we can always get more cable. Better cable. The important thing is that it worked...Because it means you're safe. Yes," he added in a rush.

Jolli and Cel eased Ninja into a nearby chair and set about rebuilding the barricade. Just in time too, it seemed. A coughing in the nearby staircase announced Kid's arrival.
"We got hostiles outside. Not too many, but I thought you should know. I'm going to the roof."
None of them knew what to make of the kid. They'd found him only earlier today in this very place. Had to have been here or somewhere close since the first day. He looked frail, but he'd managed so far. It appeared to have affected his mind though. Seemed to think the whole thing was a game. He'd nearly shot them when they first appeared, claiming he thought they were just palette swaps of regular zombies. Still, on realizing his mistake he had put down three of the group of six Shamblers that wandered around the corner.
"Just be ready to go in the morning. We'll camp here toni--" The kid spoke up heatedly, cutting Jolli off.
"I'm not camping! I'm sniping. There's a difference!"
"...Of course. My mistake. Well then, we'll 'rest' here tonight to save our strength. Okay?"
"Save often," Kid nodded, "and on alternating files."
"Oh, always." This seemed to satisfy the kid, and he made his way to the back of the large room filled with books and into the side room with the ladder to the room. The other three shared a confused look.

The day moved on into evening without much further incident. Jolli went back and forth between fussing over the rig being broken and claiming it was worthless and that the next one would be a hundred times better and more presentable as they helped Ninja out of it. Next time the frame would be smaller. They couldn't argue that it didn't work. If he hadn't hit the tree as he did it would have been fine. The lightweight metal frame around his chest connected to the segmented rods sewn into in his sleeve was a perfect way to move the force of a climb off just the one arm and onto the more manageable chest area. He was sure they couldn't argue it, but felt the need to repeatedly remind them.
Ninja about bit through a book as they set the bone in his arm, but he once he'd recovered he was ready for something tastier. They made a meal of rations.
Kid had apparently cleaned out a nearby convenience store, and was content having some chips and a couple bottles of Mountain Dew. No wonder about his health if that's all he lived on.
As the night got on Cel volunteered to do a watch from the roof once she found out that the only other place to be was the small basement.
Which is why she was the first to see the fire flare up in the woods outside the city.