We split into two groups and scurried around both sides of the barn. I took the west side and skirted the pens attached to the barn. One ornery old Jersey cow no one could control lunged against the pen's fence boards as she tried to escape. Her mooing was frantic and high pitched as she constantly ran and hurled herself at the restrictive barrier.
Near the end of the fence, we spotted the reason for the commotion. Two zombies were actively engaged by six or more dogs. One male zombie had a full grown German Shepherd in its hands gnawing on the carcass as he kicked and growled at the other attacking dogs. I thought of the old Frankenstein movies I'd seen as a boy, but this was real. Both zombies were full-bodied. At the chicken pen, the gate had been forced open, and four more zombies had invaded that pen. Shots rang out as Ed's group opened fire. My group cut loose seconds later, and both zombies under attack by the dogs dropped to the ground. As they fell, the dogs swarmed on them tearing flesh and yapping wildly. At the sound of gunshots, the four undead in the chicken pen bolted for the entrance gate. I vaguely noticed several lumps of feathery globs in the chicken yard as I sighted on zombies. Two of the chicken thieves were slender and naked, a male and a female. As they ran, they bobbed and weaved and streaked to the safety of the dark woods despite the hail of lead we threw at them. The other two zombies succumbed to our hell fire of bullets for a total of four down. The ones we'd stopped were clothed in filthy, tattered, rags.
Our people gathered in small clusters and spoke of the newest development of the zombies. Twice before there had been some indication of the undead attacking animals besides humans. Now our domestic animals, as well as the wild game, were at risk of the super strong and fast predators.
"Okay folks. I don't like this anymore than you do. Since it's been very rare to see completely naked zombies in the past, I can only assume the two that escaped are new zombies that have been birthed by the whole-bodied ones here on the ground. They were much more agile and ran faster than any we've encountered before. This attack also confirms zombies were the attackers of the half eaten carcasses we've found in the woods recently. The damned things cannot only eat us and infect us, but they can compete with us for our food supplies." I glanced at each of my crew. "I'd like Junior, Vince, and Kelly to go to the upper level of the barn and watch this area till morning in case those two that escaped return. And watch your backs. These zombies are quiet and won't give warnings as they approach. We'll leave the lights on. The rest of you get some sleep. The leadership committee and Ira will meet at eight this morning to discuss this latest development."
As we five headed back, I told Ed, "Ira can perform the autopsy he wanted on one of these dead monsters. At least some good will come out of this mess. In the morning, we'll count the chickens we lost and decide how to protect them better."
"In addition to them," Ed followed, "the horses and cows and pigs are in danger too. It's not going to be easy to protect everything we have. Last week we located good draft horses over in the Amish area west of here. I'll make it a priority to gather them and get them back here where we can at least attempt to protect them."
The clock showed a few minutes past three when Kira and I crawled back into bed. We talked and cuddled for a while until she dozed off. I was still awake at five rehashing the new events, then I slept fitfully for a bit and rose at seven.
The committee members looked haggard when we met. I'd brought my coffee and one of Andrea's marvelous cinnamon rolls and finished it before Morgan wandered in last.
"The first item I want to address this morning is adding Ira as a full-time member of the committee. The continuous adaptation of the zombies to new forms makes his presence at our meetings desirable, so I move to include him. All agreed? Good.
"This latest attack highlighted two new issues. The two zombies that escaped appeared to have been new birth zombies. They were completely naked, and I'm betting they were the result of zombies mating. After the Ames incident, we debated the possibility that a pregnant woman was bitten, transitioned, and caused her infant to be born a zombie. I believe that's laid to rest now. It's inconceivable that there are multiple pregnant women out there being turned into zombies."
Doc nodded as he glanced around the table.
"I didn't notice any bite marks on the naked zombie's flesh, but it was dark. They're also the most agile specimens we've encountered. We learned from the March trip to Ames that the zombies had evolved to eat and digest human flesh, so that wasn't a surprise.
"Last night taught us they now attack and eat other mammals. We lost eleven chickens, a German shepherd, and a pit bull last night. Another mixed breed was so badly injured Junior put it out of its misery after the attack. The only good news from last night is that the non-human animals don't turn into zombie dogs or chickens." I stopped to let that sink in as I finished my coffee. I couldn't resist a grin. "Wouldn't it be hell to be attacked by a flock of killer zombie chickens?" We all chuckled to lighten the mood and then got back to business. "The next question is, how do we protect the other domestic animals we have? Ideas?
