Jack closed his eyes. “You had no choice. She was already dead.”
“But that’s just it,” Zaun cried. “I didn’t kill her. I left her alone.”
Jack opened his eyes. He didn’t know what to say.
“I probably should have killed her, but I was so full of rage. She’d killed me, and I wasn’t about to allow her the easy way out. So I left her to die a slow, painful death.
“I came back to my place, scrubbed the wound, poured hydrogen peroxide over it, then bleach. Burned like a motherfucker. Later that night, I was already feeling tired, drained, but not like I was when I was hacking up those ungodly bastards. I was drained as if I had no strength, as if I hadn’t eaten in days. I was so hungry and all I kept thinking about was meat. Human meat. If I had the strength, I think I would’ve gone back down there, found the woman and started tearing into her. As it was, I was too wiped out. I was so hungry, Jack. Hungry enough that I had to fight against eating my own flesh.
“Eventually I started hallucinating. I saw my mother. She came to me. Told me everything would be all right. That I’d be with her soon.” Zaun was crying again. “It was the only good thing that happened to me.”
“Well, I’m here now, buddy,” Jack said, patting Zaun on the leg. “The past is the past. It’s time to move forward. You’re looking better, but you need to rest. No more talking, too much stress is no good. I’m going to let you sleep, then get you up in a few hours for some chow.”
Jack was pleased to see his friend coming along quickly. It was probably his age, good eating habits, genetics, and the fact that he was in shape. He didn’t want to spend anymore time topside than was necessary, but he also didn’t want to scare the guy. He hadn’t told him about the possible plans to nuke the city. Jack wasn’t leaving without his friend, and if the city was leveled, he and Zaun probably wouldn’t suffer for more than a few seconds at best.
Caught in a tough situation, Jack left the room, hoping the good doctor had come up with a way to solve the bot problem and alert the military before they decided to blow up Manhattan.
Chapter 12
While Zaun was recovering, Jack scoured the building, killing undead and looking for survivors. He had to see for himself that there was no one left alive. He didn’t find anyone of course, but did manage to kill a number of undead to the point he could no longer find anymore. He wanted to make the building as safe as possible for when he and Zaun made the trek to the sixth floor supply closet. But it was more than that. Jack felt as if he had made a safe zone for other survivors. There had to be more in the city, and by chance if any of them made it to the building, they would be able to have a place that was undead-free; a safe haven from the city’s ugliness.
A few days after waking, Zaun was strong enough to leave. Jack went over gun protocol, making sure his friend knew as much about the firearms as possible, including where the safety switches were, how to properly load a weapon, and how to aim and shoot.
With their packs full and on their backs, guns loaded, Jack taking the two handguns and the rifle while Zaun carried the shotgun and his sword, the two companions left the apartment.
They easily made their way to the supply closet on the sixth floor. Looking out the window, Jack saw that the gate was open. A few undead were currently occupying the alley, with one right below the window where the rope was dangling. Another was about halfway down the alley and a third stood between one of the open gates and the brick wall, as if confused on how to exit the area.
Jack almost couldn’t believe it. The undead horde from earlier must have grown so large that their combined mass was no match for the gate and broke the steel door open. They flooded in like water from a burst dam. Finding no food, they receded back out, leaving a few stragglers behind.
Looking out into the street, Jack saw a single zombie walk by. Then another. At any moment, one could walk right in and then there’d be four to deal with.
“What is it?” Zaun asked.
“Remember that ‘ safe ’ alley I told you about?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, it isn’t so safe anymore.” Jack moved aside to let Zaun have a look.
“Wow,” Zaun said. “Guess those military dudes were wrong about that gate being secure.”
“I just think they underestimated the undead’s strength. Those things might be weak and slow individually, but in groups they’re like a tornado.”
“There are only a few down there now,” Zaun pointed out. “We can take them out.”
“Yeah, but we have to do it quietly or we’ll wind up with half the city’s undead down there. I was thinking about picking them off with the rifle, but I’m not sure how the sound would travel from up here. The shots could echo and confuse the things, or it might attract them into the alley. Then we’d be stuck up here for who knows how long.”
Zaun turned to Jack, a grin on his face. “You trust me?”
“Why, what have you got in mind?”
“It might be nuts, but it’s our only option.”
Jack listened as Zaun suggested that he go down the rope. Using his martial arts training, he would then quietly take out the three undead.
“And if it doesn’t work,” Zaun added, “you’ll pull my ass back up and we’re no better off.”
Jack shook his head. “I don’t like it.”
“What other choice is there, the sewer? T hat sounds more dangerous, at least getting to them does.”
Jack knew his friend was right. He didn’t like the guy going down there alone, but he’d be ready with his rifle. And if the alley became overwhelmed with the undead, he’d help Zaun back up.
“Fine, but you’re taking the harness. I’m not sure I can pull you up all that way and I doubt you’ll be able to climb sixty feet without tiring.”
“No way. I’ll be fine. Between the two of us, we’ll get me back in this closet. I’m rope savvy, having climbed before. You on the other hand are not. How do you expect to climb down without falling?”
Jack should’ve thought to bring at least one extra harness. Now one of them was going to be in danger.
“It’s settled then,” Zaun said, smiling. He grabbed a pair of the heavy workman’s gloves from the shelf and put them on. “I’ll be able to slide down easily with these. They should hold up well.”
Zaun gave the shotgun to Jack, then went to climb onto the windowsill.
“Hold on,” Jack told him.
Zaun turned around.
Jack held out the Sig Sauer. “Just in case.”
Zaun took the weapon, tucking it into the front of his pants.
“Safety’s on,” Jack informed him.
“I know. You think I’d shove this thing in my pants if it wasn’t?”
“Just watch your ass.”
Zaun climbed onto the windowsill, wrapped the rope around his left hand once, creating his own belay, then started down.
Jack kept an eye on the undead, but also watched his friend.
Zaun made his way quickly down the line, stopping just above the zombie that was standing below him. With his legs intertwined between the rope, and his left hand holding him up, he drew the sword with his right hand and plunged the blade into the top of the zombie’s head. The undead corpse went slack and collapsed to the ground. Neither of the other two undead seemed to notice.
Zaun dropped the rest of the way to the ground, landing in a crouch. He stood slowly, reached into his jacket, and produced a throwing star. Jack shook his head, remembering having the pointy things when he was a kid. He would throw them at trees or into the back of the door to his room, but never imagined ever using them in real life. They were a thing for movies or books; things kids played with. But Zaun, along with hand-to-hand combat and swordplay, practiced using all kinds of throwing weapons. He’d told Jack that knives were his favorite, the long blades were great for deep penetration and killing, but only when in somewhat close proximity to the target. Throwing stars were better for distance strikes, usually not penetrating deep enough to cause death, but could
