Dead America The Second Week (Book 10): Dead America: Portland, Part 2 Read online

  DEAD AMERICA: THE SECOND WEEK

  BOOK 10

  PORTLAND PT. 2

  BY DEREK SLATON

  CHAPTER ONE

  Day zero +12

  A zombie staggered through the dank water, skin bulbous and swollen from being in the sewers for so long. Zion raised his crowbar and jabbed it through the forehead, punching it through easily. The corpse fell back against the side of the drainage tunnel, finally at peace.

  “When I thought zombies couldn’t be any grosser,” Dawn muttered as she passed the waterlogged corpse. “This is heinous.”

  Calvin shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know, it could be worse.”

  “I thought we agreed never to say those words,” she shot back, and they shared a chuckle.

  “Fair enough,” he replied, putting up a hand. “I’m just saying I enjoy clearing a few zombies out of a drainage tunnel rather than facing a horde in the city.”

  She nodded as she thought about it. “Agreed. I take it back. Heinous it is.”

  “A few could easily turn into a horde, though,” Zion piped up. “That’s why we need to get this shit locked down.”

  Calvin rested his crowbar on his shoulder. “What kind of fencing are you thinking? Maybe grab some chain link from one of the factories?”

  “How would we get enough of it down here?” Dawn asked, and peered down one of the offshoots to the tunnel. “We just need to block off all of the extra tunnels to make a straight path through to the woods. It wouldn’t have to be very high, I don’t think.”

  “No,” Zion said with a nod. “If we just grabbed some iron gating and blocked off these little tunnels, then we could lure zombies all the way through to the other side. How many tunnels have we passed?”

  Calvin glanced over his shoulder. “Three. Makin’ notes, drawin’ maps, takin’ names.” He held up a little notepad he’d been scribbling on.

  “Good,” his leader replied. “Then it’ll be a straight shot. We block off all the tunnels, and then make a ruckus at the starting end. We head through, making as much noise as possible, and then out the other side we take cover around the bend and let them wander out into the woods to fuck up somebody else’s day.”

  “That’s a good plan,” Calvin replied brightly. “Keeping count, sir, yes, sir.”

  They wandered through the tunnel, taking out the few straggling zombies hanging around.

  “Question for you.” Zion addressed Dawn as they strolled along. “How are the women doing? The ones that were…”

  “‘Entertainment’ for those assholes?” She pursed her lips for a moment. “As good as they can be, I guess. Relieved. They’ve been staying in one apartment together, staying close. I guess they’re finding comfort being close to one another.”

  He nodded. “That’s why I haven’t checked in on them,” he admitted. “I didn’t think a man comin’ into their space would be very welcome.”

  “You’d be okay,” she replied with a wry smile. “You are the one that burst in to save them. The youngest one said that she hasn’t felt safer in her entire life, even pre-apocalypse, than now with you leading the complex.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I fuckin’ doubt that.”

  “Whether it’s true or not, she said it,” Dawn replied with a shrug. “You’ve done a lot of good. And regardless of all of the bullshit that went down with those military guys, I think our community is stronger for it. If there was any doubt of who should be in charge… well, it’s long gone now.”

  “Did you ever doubt me?” Zion raised an eyebrow.

  She wrinkled her nose. “That’s an unfair question. I barely knew you.”

  “I didn’t doubt you, boss!” Calvin cut in. “And here we are, continuing to better the safety of our people.” He pulled a joint out of his pocket and lit it up as the bright light at the mouth of the tunnel came into view.

  “You know I already like you, you don’t have to kiss my ass,” Zion teased.

  Calvin shrugged. “I never do anything I don’t want to,” he said, and held out the joint.

  Dawn plucked it out of his hand. “Ain’t that the truth.” She took a deep drag and exhaled slowly before offering it to Zion, who shook his head.

  The water rippled and a loud snarl echoed from close by. Zion raised his crowbar just in time to defend himself from the hulk-sized zombie that splashed out from one of the tunnels. He pressed the metal up into its throat, holding its gnashing teeth away from his face as he threw his full force into it, pressing it back up against the wall.

  Moans and shrieks filled the air, and as he held the giant ghoul at bay, he glanced to see a pack of waterlogged corpses sloshing towards him.

  “Every fucking time I light up,” Calvin muttered as he slogged past his friend, tucking the notepad back into his pocket. He raised the crowbar and swung into the lead zombie’s face, shoving it back into its friends. The momentum caused them to splash back into the shallow dank water, a dog pile of rotting, bloated flesh.

  He then turned and jammed the end of his crowbar into the hulk zombie’s temple, where Zion was still holding it pretty casually against the tunnel wall. He joined Calvin and they stood shoulder-to-shoulder, facing the ghouls still getting to their feet.

  They shambled closer, and Zion lunged forward, caving heads in. His partner stayed just behind him as he barreled through the group, braining any still-moving zombies knocked aside by the large battering ram that was his leader.

  Dawn leaned against the tunnel wall and simply watched, puffing away on the joint. The boys finished up and strained their ears, listening for anything else, and then headed back to the main route.

  She held out what was left of Calvin’s joint, and he chuckled as he took it back.

  He took a puff and saluted her. “Thanks. At least I didn’t have to toss it.”

  “What, you can’t kill zombies with a joint hanging out of your mouth?” She raised an eyebrow.

  “Oh I can,” he assured her, “I just always end up getting smoke in one of my eyeballs. Not as effective working blind.”

  “Fair enough,” she replied, and they joined Zion as they continued clearing the main tunnel. When they finally reached the sunlight breaching the other end, the trio headed out into the fresh air where their vehicle waited.

  “You got a good count?” Zion asked as he opened the driver’s side door.

  Calvin nodded as he slid into the backseat. “Yessir, we are all good. I’ll make some notes so you can pass it on to Adam. We’ll get this city cleared out.”

  “It’s an insane pursuit, you know,” Dawn commented from the passenger seat. “I mean, I’m with you, because I know you’re going to do it anyway. But damn, this is going to be an extremely risky way to clear out the city.”

  Zion shook his head as he fired up the engine. “We can’t sit back and be careful if we wanna survive.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  As Zion pulled into the driveway of the apartment complex, no less than six people came out to greet him, and it wasn’t just the ones on guard duty. He glanced up at the still-hanging body of Sergeant Holcomb, the asshole that had tried to enslave his people. It was a reminder and a warning, to anyone who thought it would be a good idea to fuck with Zion’s community.

  “Here you go, man,” Calvin said, holding out a folded piece of paper as he puffed on the end of his joint. “Say hi to them for me. I’m going to go clean myself. Goddamn.”

  “Could have been worse,” Dawn added. “At least it wasn’t a proper sewer.”

  “Always looking on the bright side,” Calvin replied.


  She shrugged. “Gotta live up to my name, right?”

  He blinked at her for a moment and then pointed his finger at her, a smile breaking out over his face. “Clever, clever.”

  Zion looked over the notes, and nodded. “Thanks,” he said.

  Calvin gave him a little salute. “No prob, boss. Let me know when we’re heading out next.”

  “Yep,” his leader replied, and also gave Dawn a wave before heading inside. He shook a few hands and then broke away to the armory. He pulled out the gun he’d been carrying, setting it down on the counter.

  “Didn’t end up using it, huh?” Howie, the older gentleman manning the armory, asked with a smirk.

  Zion held up the crowbar he’d been using that day. “You know I prefer weapons that don’t run out of bullets,” he replied.

  “Well, at least I know I don’t have to break this one down and clean it,” Howie replied. “How was the crowbar, then? Did you like it?”

  Zion nodded. “Still don’t have the ping of an aluminum bat,” he said. “And I missed my claws. They’re just not always… well, let’s just say I didn’t wanna terrify my team.”

  “They definitely serve that purpose,” the armorer agreed. “Well, I’ll keep ‘em ready for you, if you need to strike fear into the hearts of any men. In the meantime, enjoy whatever melee weapons you can get your hands on.”

  “Will do,” Zion replied, patting the knife holsters lining his belt.

  He headed off down the hallway to the command room, entering to find a series of computer screens and radios lining the living room of a one-bedroom apartment. Cheryl leaned over a table along the far wall, long blonde hair twisted back into a high ponytail as she studied a crudely drawn map of the city.

  “Oh, hey, boss,” she said, and held out the receiver to him. “Just chatting with your sister.”

  He nodded and took a seat next to the radio. “Hey, Monique.”

  “Z!” she replied, excitement in her tone. “How’s it going?”

  “Good, we went and scouted the drainage pipe, and cleared it out,” he said. “How are the greenhouses comin’ along?”

  “They’re coming, but we could use a few things,” Monique replied. “When are you guys coming back into the city?”

  “We can be by later in the morning,” he said, and motioned to a pad of paper next to Cheryl. “What do you need from the store?”

  The blonde turned around and hopped up onto the table, grabbing the paper and a pen and propping up the pad on her crossed legs.

  “Hang on, I’ll get Wendy,” Monique replied.

  A few moments later, the gruff no-nonsense tone of the leader of the neighborhood settlement came across the line.

  “We need seeds, solar panels, and some more fencing,” she said.

  He nodded. “Sounds good. We’re going to need a lead on iron fencing ourselves, so we can work on the drainage pipe and emptying the city.”

  “You’re going ahead with that, hmm?” she came back. “Don’t expect me to be able to spare any of my people for that insanity.”

  He couldn’t help but crack a smile. Regardless of her borderline rudeness, he enjoyed how to-the-point she was. There was no beating around the bush with this woman.

  “I think we’re good for that,” he replied with amusement in his tone as Cheryl scribbled down the order. “Anything else you need?”

  “Yes, we picked up a few more survivors and are pressed for space,” Wendy said. “There’s a group of houses and a two-story building between here and the end of the block. If we can clear them out and get some more fencing, we can secure the whole block.”

  Zion nodded. “Okay, I’ll bring some extra hands with me.”

  “Thank you,” Wendy replied. “Over and out.”

  Cheryl trilled a laugh. “Bye, Monique, great chatting with you, Wendy,” she said, sarcasm dripping from her tone.

  “I’ll give my sister an extra hug from you when I see her,” Zion promised. He changed frequencies on the radio and clicked the talk button. “Adam, are you there?”

  “Also, can we talk about the irony of flat out shooting down any help for your project, and then immediately asking for help for hers?” Cheryl continued as they waited.

  Zion shook his head. “I wouldn’t endanger her people in the pipes anyway. They’re more suited to non-combat work.”

  “Which is totally not at all why you sent Monique there,” the blonde teased.

  He furrowed his brow at her, pretending not to understand the insinuation. He knew his sister could handle herself, but he felt much better when she was safely behind closed walls and fences. If she were at the apartment complex, then she would want to come out on runs to contribute. But he wasn’t going to admit any of that out loud.

  “Hey, Zion,” Adam greeted. “How’s it going?”

  “Good, good,” he replied. “We’re doing a run for Wendy, anything you need?”

  “Well first, our standard canned goods order,” the older man came back. “Same number as before. I also need some specialized parts, but I think I might have a lead on another group of survivors.”

  Cheryl looked up from her paper, raising an eyebrow.

  “Oh?” Zion asked. “Where?”

  “Yesterday a few of us went on a run to check on this old convenience store nearby, and somebody was flashing a light through a window,” Adam said. “I don’t think they were trying to convey a message, though I don’t know morse code if they were. I waved to show them we saw them, but we weren’t able to get to the building. I’d assume it’s crawling with zombies if people are signaling us instead of just coming out themselves.”

  Zion pursed his lips for a moment thoughtfully before clicking the button. “I guess we’ll have to check it out. We don’t know how much longer they have in there, if they’re trapped.”

  “That’s right,” Adam agreed. “They could be running low on supplies, but even if they’re not, they clearly want out. I wish we could have communicated somehow. As it is, we don’t know anything. But I wouldn’t want to leave it too long before investigating.”

  Zion nodded. “Okay. Do you know the address, or approximately where it is? I’ve got Cheryl here taking notes.”

  Adam rattled off the directions from the shop to the building, and she jotted down what he said, and hopped down off of the table, leaning back over her map.

  “I know you have a lot on your plate,” Adam said finally. “But I just… I’d want someone to do it for us. Karma and all that, right?”

  “Right,” Zion replied. “We’re gonna go shopping and then drop off at Wendy’s and hopefully head your way soon after. What are these parts that you need?”

  “Making those deadly claws for you has given me some ideas for forging some more efficient weapons. Guns will only get us so far, and they’re loud, you know?” Adam said.

  “Yep,” Zion agreed.

  “So I want to be able to craft good weapons, spears, blades, stuff that people can safely use to defend themselves. It’d be a lot better than duct tape and a broom handle, and I might as well use these machines if I’ve got them,” came the reply.

  Zion chuckled. “You going stir crazy in there? Nesting?”

  “No, we’ve got lots to do,” Adam defended. “Just with you bringing us food, and us not particularly able to take on lots of zombies… I want to make sure we’re contributing. And my people are a lot better working inside. If I can use my specialized skills for efficiency in the apocalypse, then that’s a win, right?”

  “That’s good, man, really,” the young leader assured him. “So what do you need us to find?”

  “I’m going to build a metal press, and the only part that I need is a bottle jack,” Adam said. “At least a ten ton, but the higher the better. We’ve been checking garages that we’ve been able to get to, but they all use big machinery that isn’t easily moved. The bottle jack we can get in here and I can use it to build a solid press.”

  “Done,” Zion repli
ed. “And then you can make me something pretty.”

  Adam laughed. “Your claws are more effective than pretty, I suppose.”

  “It’s the thought that counts,” the younger man said. “We’ll see what we can find.”

  “Okay, thanks,” Adam replied. “See you later.”

  Zion replaced the receiver onto its hook, and stood next to Cheryl. “Okay, what is our joyride route today?”

  She pointed to different spots on the map as she talked. “So the store you want to hit for the gardening supplies is here. It’s a hardware store, but they have a huge gardening section, and they’re big on sustainable power. So you should be able to get solar panels, too. You can check for a jack, but I’m not sure.” She started a fresh piece of paper for him to take with him, filling out directions. “This area has a grocery store that is probably looted but might be worth a look if you happen to have time to check it out. But we have more than enough canned goods to take a run to Adam from our own stores. And this here is where he saw the flashlight.” She scribbled out a few more directions. “This place is a low-end tire place. They might have fancy giant machines, but I’m thinking they might be your best bet for portable jacks. Hopefully you can find what he needs there.” She held out the page.

  “Sounds good,” he replied and took the paper from her. “Are we all gassed up and ready to go?”

  “Jeremy and Shawn should be back with the truck any minute,” she assured him. “Be careful out there.”

  “Be careful in here,” he shot back. “Maybe get some air and sunlight at some point today.”

  She huffed at him. “You know I only need coffee to survive, big boy.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Zion and Calvin headed to the parking deck, the latter cleaned up and ready for action.

  “Not that I don’t think this plan with the drainage pipe will work, but ya know, it’s pretty insane,” the younger man declared. “I feel like it’s one of those plans in the movies that always look like it’ll be perfect but then go horribly wrong for the heroes.”

  Zion barked a laugh. “Well it’s a good thing we ain’t movie heroes, then,” he replied, and checked all of his holsters and turned to his companion. “It’s a risky plan, but there’s always risks with anything we do. And it’s important for the long run to get the city cleared out. For the communities in there and for us, so we can go in safely to get supplies.”