You Are What You Eat Read online

  You are what you eat

  by David Rogers

  You are what you eat

  Copyright© 2013 by David Rogers

  [email protected]

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased or lent for your use, then please return to your preferred ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of original fiction set in Georgia. Some real locations and businesses have been used to set scenes, but all such trademarks are the respective property of their owners. All depicted characters are fictional and not intended to represent specific living persons.

  Cover map data Copyright©2013 Google

  Table of Contents

  Foreword

  Chapter One – Working up an appetite

  Chapter Two – Fast Food

  Chapter Three – Bon appétit

  Foreword

  Zombies

  Chapter One – Working up an appetite

  The pounding on the classroom door was getting persistent. Wendy could feel each thump as a physical presence across her body, see dust raising from the chalkboard ledge in time with the hammering. She swallowed – again – the fear that was swirling around in her and glanced over her shoulder. “How long?”

  “I don’t know.” Victoria said in a voice that was a little distracted and annoyed as she tugged on the window’s latch, but mostly was just very afraid. “It’s stuck or something.”

  “We should just break it.” grunted Davis.

  “I already said that.” Bob said. He and Davis were holding Victoria up so her feet were at shoulder level, and her head and hands were next to the high, narrow window. The high school dated back to the 40s, and had been built to the old standard of being suitable as a bomb shelter. This meant high brick walls with few windows; just a couple up near the ceiling in each classroom.

  “I can’t punch out the window.” Victoria said as she tugged on the latch, trying to get it to open. She lost her grip and toppled away from the wall, losing her balance almost immediately. She screamed as she started falling, but the boys were already shifting position. Bob dropped her feet so she wouldn’t pivot around and go down head first, while Davis sidestepped and caught her in his arms like it was the simplest thing in the world.

  Wendy looked at the door as the pounding continued. There was a splintering sound, and she winced. “Well, decide real fast or we’re fucked.” The four of them had barely made it into the classroom when the hallway had turned from chaotic to insanity. She could smell the blood wafting in from beyond the door, salty and sharp and unpleasant. People were eating each other out there, and more were trying to batter their way in here to continue snacking.

  The boys put Victoria down and split by unspoken agreement, Bob heading up to the front of the room to the teacher’s desk while Davis ran to the storage closet at the back. “Wendy, babe, block off the door.” Davis called without turning.

  “With what?”

  “Put desks in front of it.”

  “Come on.” Victoria said, sounding as scared as Wendy felt. But she was moving, and that was enough to motivate Wendy’s feet into following. The two girls started moving table style desks over in front of the door. Victoria flipped the first couple upside down, then started piling the next ones they shifted atop those. Wendy caught on pretty quickly and helped, though she wondered if it would do more than buy maybe a few seconds. The people pounding on the door were determined; enough that the light desks probably wouldn’t hold them out of the room very long.

  “Got anything?” Davis yelled as he dug through the closet. Paper and file boxes were flying out as he threw things out of the way.

  “Yeah.” Bob said. “Get up here, help me move the desk over to one of the windows.”

  “What’ve you got?”

  “The desk drawer.”

  Wendy looked over her shoulder in time to see Bob pulling the wide and flat drawer that was centered directly under the desk’s surface all the way out and depositing it on the top. She blinked as she shoved one of the student desks in front of the door. The drawer wouldn’t have been something that occurred to her, but it would probably work. Well, if Davis swung it maybe. Davis was on the football team, and was really strong. Bob played in the band and never lifted anything much heavier than a book bag or his trumpet.

  “Is that – fuck it. Let’s go.” Davis shrugged as he bent real low and got his shoulders into the side of the desk, laying into it just like he did running backs and inside receivers at the games. Bob tugged from the other side, but Davis did most of the moving as the desk’s feet scraped across the worn floor. The band geek got out of the way just before Davis got the desk flush against the wall, and barely had time to snatch the drawer out of the way as the older teen scrambled up on the desk.

  “Gimmie that.” Davis said, thumping the window with one fist lightly as he held his other hand down for the drawer. Bob gave it to him, and Davis got a grip on one end. He set it up on the ledge formed by the wall – angling it slightly so one corner was foremost – and turned his head. He slammed it forward with both arms. The window shattered loudly, but behind Wendy there was an even louder splintering crack as the door began failing.

  Gasping in terror, she skittered away from the door. There was a ragged hole, nearly a foot in diameter, at chest height. She could see figures on the other side, pressing against the door. The pounding and thumping did not abate, and was even louder now. The damage to the door also admitted more of the screaming happening elsewhere in the school. Wendy shuddered. She didn’t want to think about why they were screaming, or why the scream sometimes stopped.

  “Need something to clear the broken glass.” Davis said as he used the drawer like an oversized stick to clear the fragments clinging to the window off the edges.

  “Here, erasers.” Victoria cried, grabbing two and running over to the teacher’s desk. Davis looked down, then tossed the drawer toward the back of the classroom and reached for the erasers. Wielding one in each hand, he used them to sweep the glass off the ledge formed by the wall’s thickness. It tinkled and shattered as it fell. There was another loud cracking and splintering from the classroom door, and Wendy saw the top half of the door was about to break completely off.

  “Hurry.” she said anxiously.

  “Okay, Bob, you first. Keep an eye on what’s going on out there and help the girls.” Davis said, tossing the erasers aside and reaching down a hand. He pulled Bob up and lifted him with a bear hug grasp on the other teen’s legs. Bob yelped as his head bounced off the ceiling.

  “Ouch.”

  “Get through.” Davis snapped. “And try not to break your fucking ankles on the way down. Remember there’s a drop.”

  Bob reached and bent, grabbing the sides of the window and contorting so he could pull himself through. Davis supported him as Bob wiggled out and shifted so he didn’t fall head first. When no part of Bob was visible any longer – not even his hands hanging onto the wall – Davis stepped back. “Well?”

  “I’m through.” Bob’s voice came back.

  “How’s it look out there?”

  “Well there’re big groups at the front and back of the school.”

  “And?”

  “We’d better hurry.”

  “Wendy babe, come on.” Davis said, turning and holding out his hand to her. She blinked at him for a second, then darted over and let him pull her up. “Now you gotta shift around in the window so you can hang and drop feet first, got it?”

  “Got it.” Wendy said, hoping she did. She
was in good shape, but basically just for looks. She did dancercise and occasionally aerobics, but it didn’t do much to get her ready for something like this. She had trouble helping carry the groceries in sometimes, if the kid at the Piggly Wiggly double bagged too many packages of sugar or soup cans in together.

  Davis’ strong arms lifted her like she weighed nothing, his hands on her waist. She got a grip on the sides of the window and one knee up on the top of the wall. Now that she was up here, it didn’t seem nearly as thick as it had from the floor. She wiggled her head and shoulders out through the window, paused to consider, then reached back in with one hand. Holding onto the edge of the wall, she pulled herself forward and to one side a little more. The ‘ledge’ on this side was barely more than an inch or two, but was just enough for her to brace herself on temporarily while she held on to the inside of the wall. She got her legs out and was starting to try and transfer her grip so she could lower herself when she slipped.

  With a scream she felt herself falling and tightened her hands. She arrested her fall briefly when her weight hit her hands, then the pain of the sudden shock caused her to lose hold and she fell the rest of the way. She hit feet first, but she also felt Bob’s hands on her, helping to cushion her fall. He was also getting a pretty good feel, but she scarcely noticed.

  “Babe, you okay?”

  “She’s fine.” Bob called. “Hurry.”

  Wendy straightened in Bob’s arms and tested her legs. They felt wobbly, but were apparently going to support her weight. She stepped away from her classmate and looked around. When she did, she only barely stifled the urge to scream again.

  They were on the side of the school. There were entrances in either direction, at the end of the wall. Visible next to both were masses of the sick and deranged individuals who had started eating people. They were still eating, she saw with a turn of nausea. There were a few screams and shouts coming from the knots of hungry . . . things . . . but only a few. And they were fading.

  And they weren’t enough to distract the things from the people appearing midway down the school.

  “Hurry!” she said urgently as Victoria appeared at the window. Sick people were starting to stagger toward them, and she figured they maybe had little more than half a minute before they’d be close enough to start grabbing. And eating. “We’ve got to go!”

  Victoria didn’t bother answering. She just kept wiggling herself through the window. Her progress seemed more sure than Wendy’s had, and she managed to shift and grip without falling when she got her body completely clear of the window. After dangling for a second, she dropped down and landed on flexed knees without issue.

  “Come on Davis!” Wendy called.

  Davis’ head and shoulders appeared at the window. He was the largest of the foursome –the starting middle linebacker on the high school’s team for the third year in a row – but he was able to fit himself through the opening. Just. He was halfway through when he cursed and his body jerked, then he sort of seesawed in place for a few moments.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “They’re through the door.” he grunted. “Grabbing onto my legs. Pull me through.”

  Bob reached up and grabbed at the hand Davis extended down. Wendy jumped and got hold of her boyfriend’s forearm. She wasn’t sure how much help she could be, but she was determined to try. She hung for a second, then tugged downward when she felt Bob doing the same. Davis started moving, his weight shifting more out than in, and his face looked a little alarmed. “Watch out!”

  Wendy felt her feet touch ground, and she scampered back just in time as Davis came crashing down from above. Bob wasn’t so lucky – or maybe he was trying to cushion the other teen’s fall – and he crumpled to the ground with the larger boy atop him.

  “Owwwwww.” Bob complained.

  “Sorry.” Davis panted, rolling off Bob. “Thanks.” he added, looking at his left leg. Wendy looked too, but she saw only jeans, a sock, and his sneaker. No blood, no damage.

  “Are you two okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah.” Davis nodded, starting to rise.

  “Owwww.” Bob repeated.

  “Get up. We’ve got to go.” Davis said, looking at the staggering figures that were closing in on them from both sides.

  “Where?” Victoria asked. “My phone still doesn’t have any signal.” Wendy saw the other girl had it out and in her hand, scowling at it unhappily.

  “We need a ride.” Bob said as he got to his feet slowly.

  “My car’s in the parking lot.” Davis shrugged. “And I don’t think we can get through all . . . them.”

  “I take the bus.” Bob frowned.

  “I walk.” Victoria added.

  Wendy didn’t bother answering. Davis was her ride to and from school. And even if he hadn’t been, she’d be on the bus or walking too. Her parents couldn’t afford even the car, much less the insurance and other operating costs, for a teenage driver.

  “That way then.” Davis said, pointing toward the tree line.

  “Why that way?” Bob asked, sounding slightly suspicious.

  “Because there’s a road on the other side of it, and there aren’t any . . . whatever these fucking people are in the way if we go that way.”

  “Zombies.” Victoria said.

  “Shut up!” Bob shouted.

  “They are.” Victoria insisted. “They’re eating people. They’re zombies!”

  “Davisssss . . . ” Wendy said, moving over and clutching at his arm as she drew out the last sound in his name. He looked back toward the front of the school, where she was looking, and took her hand in his.

  “Do whatever you want. We’re not sticking around.”

  Chapter Two – Fast Food

  Wendy started running when Davis did, noting after the first dozen steps he seemed to be holding his speed down. That was sweet, she thought. He was quite a bit taller than she was, and had longer legs, but he was sticking with her. And he didn’t let go of her hand either, like he was ready to pull her along or help her keep her balance as they headed for the trees.

  She heard footsteps behind them, and risked a brief glance over her shoulder. Bob and Victoria had decided arguing about names or directions was less important than keeping away from the insanity that had taken over most of the students at Early high school. In half a minute they were at the trees that surrounded and bordered the school’s lot. They plunged in among them without hesitating.

  It wasn’t old growth forest, and the going stayed fairly easy. There wasn’t much in the way of deadfall or undergrowth to get in the way of their feet. But Wendy still almost went down when they broke out into the narrow channel of the railroad tracks that cut right through the trees. She stumbled on the gravel and tripped over the first rail. Davis caught her.

  “Come on babe.” he said, looking back.

  “Are they following us?”

  “We’re right here.” Bob panted.

  “No, the . . . the fucking zombies!” Wendy said.

  There were figures staggering through the trees. They were back a ways, but definitely coming after the four fleeing students. Davis tugged on her hand a little, and she stepped over the tracks with his help and they took off running again. About a minute later they reached the road that meandered along behind the school. Wendy looked in both directions and felt like bursting into tears.

  “Holy shit.” Bob gasped as he caught up with them.

  “Damn, are we like the only fucks left alive?” Davis asked grimly.

  To the west there was a overturned tanker truck. Wendy didn’t know what it was hauling – had been hauling, since she could see liquid of some sort pooling around the wreck – but there was a lot of it. And the truck had skidded to a halt against the fencing that surrounded the warehouses next to it. Short of going back through the trees, there was no way through in that direction. Not unless the hazard sign she could see on the wide of the tube-like trailer was a joke.

  Eastward, there was anoth
er crowd of staggering figures. She didn’t bother counting, but there were more than a double handful, and they were all headed this way. They were spread out along and beside the road, with trees on one side, and more fencing on the other.

  “What are we going to do?” she asked frantically.

  “Let’s try through here.” Davis said, gesturing at the lot across the road. Like all the lots in South Georgia it was huge, and like most that were commercial, it had fencing. In this case it was basic chain link, but it was heavy duty and tall; nearly twelve feet. Even with help, Wendy knew she couldn’t climb it. But the gate was down, half on the turn-in and half on the road. Wendy thought that was a rather bad sign; it looked like someone had left in a hurry and just drove through the gate.

  Wendy looked again at the crowd of zombies, hoping for some sort of stroke of brilliance. She was a honors student. Surely she should be able to come up with something. But nothing came to mind. Through the fence was the only option she could see. While she’d hesitated, thinking, Bob was running past her and Davis. Then Victoria followed, and Wendy spurred herself to action.

  Bob was already well across the gravel strewn paved parking lot. There was a large building almost directly ahead, but she couldn’t read the signage on the door from here. As they ran to catch up with Bob, he cleared the left side of the building and stopped, then turned back to them shaking his head.

  “What?” Davis called.

  “More of them.” Bob answered, running along the front of the building toward the east side. “Not too many, but enough that it’s a problem.”

  Davis changed course to head for the right side of the building, taking Wendy with him by pulling on her hand. They got an angle to look down it just as Bob reached the corner. Everyone stopped, and Wendy felt like crying. There was another group of figures, some already turning toward them. From their movements, she was certain they weren’t healthy. Not anymore.