“Oh yeah, I can do that we have a promotion where we go around to the local bars and have about twenty cases of glass cups we gave away as swag, that would make a lot of noise if they hit it, plus a few desks and chairs in the stairwell, that is going to take awhile though, there are five stairwells in the building, one at each corner and one near the elevators. Not a bad idea Diane, I might have even a few more. What else to you have?”
“Okay here is the important part, get back on the radio, you could ask people for help, tell them you need someone to come free you from the station and explain your situation, maybe. Regardless you need to get back on the air and keep telling everyone what is going on, you are it man, every other station is off the air, let people know to hit them in the head, tell them to call all their friends and spread the news that you are on the air, get people organized, right now everyone is trying to fight back on their own and we are losing, at least from my point of view, I know that of the people I spent the night with only maybe six of the twenty of us are still alive, so you gotta get people organized and have them fight back. There is no reason why the station could not be the rallying point.”
“I might even live through it. Okay I will do it, let me give you another number you can reach me at, I have the feeling this line is going to get busy really soon. Also here is my cell number in case the power totally goes out. We have a generator, but who knows how long that will last?”
Diane took his number on a small notebook she pulled out of her glove box. Amelia admired Diane’s organization skill; the last time she checked her own glove box so much stuff fell out that she had resolved to never open it again.
After Diane hung up she asked, “Well, spill it, what happened, I think I got a pretty good idea from your end of the conversation. But do you think he will make it?”
Diane went to respond when the music abruptly cut off and the dj’s voice was on the air again, “Well thanks to my good fried Diane, I am still here ladies and gentlemen. First things first anyone I told to come to the station, and you know who you are, you had best stay away, it seems Diane’s warning that some zombies can talk and act like normal humans is true and several of them fooled me and invaded the station, so it is not a safe place to be anymore. Second tell everyone we are on the air and to keep calling. I have to go and do a few things to help keep me safe and will be back on live very soon. I have recorded this while I am talking and will set it to repeat until I am back. Oh and if anyone from the first group has a lot of guns, I would certainly appreciate a helping hand getting out of here too. Be back soon folks!”
After a moments though Diane said, “I think he just might make it Amelia. I think he just might.”
Chapter 35
Max struggled to a sitting position he felt so weak, so weak that all he could do was point his revolver at the open door and whisper to Steve, “Don’t move the car, Stewart is under the car, don’t move the car Steve!”
“Fuck, Max! Help her! Help her! Tom watch out, they are coming!”
Tom was busy pulling Stewart from under the car, Max risked one shot with the revolver, hitting the zombie in the leg, it barely seemed to phase it. Tom let go of Stewart with one hand and swung the shotgun around with the other firing into the zombies that were approaching the car. Steve pulled out the automatic pistol he had and scrambled over the seat to the open door, he fired into the zombies, bringing one down and momentarily sending the rest dodging sideways to avoid his wild fire. Tom bent back over to pull at Stewart, who was firing under the car with her gun hand and hanging on to Tom’s arm with the other.
Steve ran out of ammunition the gun clicked empty and he froze. Evidently the training he had been given was momentarily wiped from his mind and he sat there pulling the trigger to no effect. Max said in an almost normal voice, “Reload Steve. Reload Steve. Steve reload.”
Steve scrambled to reload and while the zombies pressed their advantage, Tom’s shotgun roared once more before he said, “I am out Stewart. I can’t reload with one hand.”
“Let me go Tom!” she said.
“No!”
“Let me go!”
“No!” he screamed, froth spraying out of his mouth.
A zombie loomed up behind him and Max struggled to raise the revolver, his hand was shaking so bad he could not get a clear shot and the edges of his vision started to fade into black, the fatigue and blood loss were hitting him and he started to pass out. The last thing he saw was the zombie pitching forward, the last thing he heard was the sound of Steve’s voice coming from somewhere well above him as if he, Max, had fallen into a deep mine shaft, “An a.r.r.o.w M.a.x! A.n. a.r.r.o” then he passed out.
Tom was pulling with both hands as the zombie loomed up behind him, he yelled, “Fire Max! I don’t care if you hit me! Fire Steve!” his voice raised several octaves to an almost comical pitch.
The zombie fell forward onto the side of his body, Tom thought he was done and waited for the biting, briefly wondering how badly it was going to hurt, before he realized the thing was not moving. Looking down he saw it had an arrow sticking out of the back of it's head, in fact another one was down and several more had arrows sticking out of their necks and shoulders, following the flight of the arrows backward he saw a young man and a woman standing at the edge of the parking lot amongst the heavy vegetation firing arrows into the zombies, he made himself smaller and grabbed Stewart with both hands gaining a few inches on the zombie that was trying to pull her under the car. Steve finally reloaded and fired into the remaining zombies. He saw, better than Steve, the other young men and a woman wading into the parking lot with swords, a baseball bat and even an ax! They were cutting the zombies down and they were moving to guard the front door to the clinic. As he watched one of the ‘good’ guys was mobbed by three zombies, the largest one, and he shrugged them off and hacked at them with his sword, then had to drop it when it become wrapped up in one of the zombies insides, he reached back to his belt and pulled out a large dagger and continued to slash and hack as he was once again bowled over, his friends were busy fighting their own battles, but were quick to come to his aid as soon as they could, getting him to his feet and putting his sword back into his hand, then pushing him towards the zombies between them and the clinic. Steve could swear they were laughing.
Once Steve had the gun reloaded he pointed it carefully at the lead zombie coming towards them, it already had an arrow sticking out of it's back, but had not slowed down much, he hit it just about the left eye and it dropped quickly. Steve then rolled forward, his legs still in the car, his gun hand pointing under the car and using his other hand he supported himself and tried to get a line on the zombie that had Stewart trapped under the car. The position was awkward and he could only see the mangled thing past Stewart, it was not worth taking a shot, he might hit Stewart. Steve scrambled out of the car, paused to put another bullet into an oncoming zombie and then said, “Tom! Take the pistol! Gimme the shotgun!”
Tom let go of the gun and Steve pressed the pistol into his hand, “You have seven shots left.” Steve fumbled in the pockets of Tom’s coat and came out with the shotgun shells he knew were there. He reloaded the shotgun with five shells and ducked around the back of the squad car, looking for a better angle on the zombie that had a hold on Stewart. Tom fired the pistol at more approaching zombies, the rest ran back towards the cars parked on the side of the road. Steve could not see anything at the back of the car and continued around to the driver’s side. He noticed Max was slumped unconscious in the back seat and saw the zombie’s leg sticking out from under the tire of the car on this side. Ducking down he spotted the thing’s torso, on arm was on this side of the body and was holding onto the undercarriage of the car, the other had Stewart, the zombie was trying to drag her lower leg to it's mouth, but between Stewart and Tom’s efforts the leg was not getting any closer. Steve angled the gun away from the Stewart and Tom and fired one round into the back of the things head. The car gave a sudden jerk too.
“Aw shit!” he yelled, his shot, while angled away from his friends, had been angled towards the front passenger side tire, which had been shot out when he finished off the zombie.
Stewart was up, trying to walk and reload her gun at the same time, she was limping badly and had to lean on Tom for support, he transferred her to leaning against the car and took the shotgun back from Steve after he came around the car. Taking his original gun back Steve put in the last loaded clip he had.
