Continuing from Part 3

Lee handed the keys over again when he got back and sighed in relief.

‘Our own little secure piece of the world,’ Pete said.

‘Do we stay here, or push on?’ Jock asked.

‘There isn’t anything moving out there, so why not go and see?’

‘I’m not going out of the light,’ Tim said. ‘We’re safe here, and the zombies are behind us.’

‘You don’t know that for sure. The guard probably thought he was safe too,’ Pete said.

‘You enjoy yourself out there. Scream if you get bitten.’

‘Smart ass!’

‘Don’t Pete,’ Jock said. ‘Let’s just go and look. They can stay here if they want, but we’ll have the weapons and keys.’

‘Alright,’ Pete grumbled.

The two men walked out into the open air of the courtyard and the door was slid shut behind them, but they checked it was not locked before moving on. They walked through the dark and saw the large gallows for the first time.

‘So this is where it all started,’ Pete said.

‘For this place anyway. The cities had already been burning for days before the Warden’s hanging party.’

Pete said nothing else and they walked across the space to the gate into the staff wing.

‘Wonder how these bastards fared?’ Pete said.

Jock laughed and reached forward with the keys, and they heard a chilling sound in the darkness on the other side of the bars. A pump-action shotgun being cocked.

Pete and Jock froze and looked at each other as footsteps sounded.

‘Howdy boys,’ said the Warden. ‘Little late for a walk, don’t you think?’

‘Warden,’ Jock said. ‘Is everyone alright on that side of the door?’

‘You’re a thoughtful boy, ain’tcha? We’re doing great. How ‘bout you?’

‘Don’t you know what’s been going on in the cells?’ Pete said. ‘You’ve got cameras; aren’t you keeping an eye on things?’

‘Don’t need to. You’re all locked up and tucked in snug for the night.’

‘They’re all dead, Warden,’ Jock said. ‘All dead, but still moving. Right the way down to “G” wing.’

‘What’d you boys do to ‘em then?’

‘We’re the survivors. They even got one of your guards.’

‘I see someone got one of my guards,’ the Warden said eying the gun. ‘You’d better just put those tools down on the ground and step away from them.’

‘We can’t do that, Warden. If you’re going to make us stay over here with the dead, we’re going to need them to survive.’

‘Of course you’re going to be staying on that side of the fence, boys. You’re the inmates, not the staff.’

‘Well, sorry to bother you then. We’ll head back and pass the news on,’ Jock said, starting to step away into the darkness.

‘No, you’ll drop the piece right their, son! Don’t make me put you down!’

Jock and Pete drifted back further and peeled off in different directions to make it hard to hit them both. The shotgun barrel pushed through the bars and they bolted across the space, diving to the ground when they heard the gun blast. They scrambled in the dirt and kept going.

‘You okay, Pete?’ Jock called.

‘A okay, buddy.’

‘Back to the others then?’

‘Not yet. Meet you at the gallows.’

The two men moved swiftly to the large wooden structure. ‘We’ve got a bit of cover here if he decides to try that again.’

‘He will.’

‘I know. I was hoping he’d have checked the camera footage and had some sympathy, but he must be thinking it’s a breakout.’

‘The slack bastard. We’ll have to set up camp here and hope he doesn’t shoot us before he works out what’s going on.’

‘He could shoot us anyway, knowing him.’

The two climbed onto the gallows platform and stretched out on their stomaches to watch the staff doorway.

The hours of night passed slowly and despite their best intentions, they fell into a fragile slumber.

The clanging of automatic steel gates snapped them awake with the dawn and they frantically looked around, expecting to see zombie attackers.

Instead a voice sounded over the prison loudspeakers. ‘Alright boys, you’ve had your campout. Now it’s time for you to hand over that gun if you want to see the sun set.’

From the perimeter wall walkway they could see four guards with rifles aimed down at them.

‘Damn,’ Jock said.

‘What’re we gonna do?’

‘Give up the gun or get shot, I imagine.’

Pete sighed and got to his feet, arms in the air, and Jock followed. They walked to the staff door and Jock tossed the gun to the ground.

‘Shoulda done that last night, boys. Saved us some hassle.’

‘So you still haven’t checked your cameras?’

‘Been busy organising for you pair.’

‘So now what?’

‘Back to your cells for a spot. Then I’ll think about whether I’ll ever let you out again.’

Two guards opened the gate and walked into the yard with them, shotguns aimed.

‘Move!’ they said, and the four of them walked across the space to opposite door where the others were waiting.

The guards saw them and stopped, and one pulled out his walky-talky. ‘Warden?’

‘What is it?’ crackled the voice in reply.

‘There’s more out. Another six at the gate.’

‘Alright. Hold ‘em there, support’s coming.’

‘Morning, team,’ Jock said. ‘Any sign of movement back there?’

‘The gates are open, but they’re not on us yet,’ Lee said.

‘What’re you talking about?’ the first guard said.

‘The zombies,’ Lee answered.

The guards shared a glance and shuffled nervously. ‘What zombies?’

‘The walking dead,’ Pete said. ‘You know, like the guys you hung. That’s what’s happened to everyone back there. Killed by zombies.’

‘Why’re these gates locked?!’ the Warden bellowed as he strode up with another two guards with shotguns. ‘Open ‘em up!’

The first two guards hesitated.

‘What’s the problem? Open the damn gates!’

‘Maybe we should just wait a moment,’ they said. ‘The other inmates should be on their way out.’

‘True. But where the hell are… oh, here they come.’

The “G” wing survivors spun around in a panic and backed away from the gates.

‘Now what?!’ growled the Warden.

‘You’ll find out very soon,’ Jock said.

The inmates came shuffling forward from all wings, moving to the courtyard.

‘What the hell’s wrong with them?’ the Warden said, and the eight breathing prisoners backed further away.

‘Is that blood?’

‘Oh my God,’ the nearest guard said and turned away to vomit his breakfast into the dirt.

They walked out of the darkness and came to the bars, smeared in drying blood. Chunks of flesh were missing, and limbs were contorted at impossible angles. Necks were torn and abdomens opened to spill intestines over feet.

‘Still want the gates opened, Warden?’ Pete asked, jangling his stolen set of keys.

The Warden’s radio crackled. ‘Roy here, Warden, on the wall. You need to get up here.’

‘What now?’ he said, and left.

The four guards and eight prisoners moved away from the undead inmates, carefully walking to the staff side of the yard. The zombies pawed at the air and pushed against the bars, leaving them slick with blood.

The Warden joined Roy on the wall and looked out across the countryside. A tide of shuffling figures was slowly converging on the jail.

‘I’m betting the city doesn’t need saving from the inmates, Warden,’ Roy said.

The Warden watched in amazement, momentarily lost for words. He cleared his throat and gripped the railing. ‘At least we’re secure in here.’

In the courtyard the inmates clustered together. Lee looked at the line of dark infection that had grown from his scratched arm, and he rubbed it again, trying to feel some warmth in the limb. He was a little confused by the way it had spread, as it did not feel right to him. But, he thought, it could be worse. At least he was out here with a bunch of guys he knew, rather than trapped back in the cell.

Constructive criticism welcome. © 2008 Damian Herde