SurvivorZ: Grave Harbor

30

KEITH

November arrived with a boom.

The rumbling sounded like distant thunder, but that was only an illusion. One easily dismissed upon noticing the plumes of smoke rising in the air from the beleaguered ruins of Boston. Keith couldn't see the damage they caused from here, but the mesh of bomber contrails crisscrossing the clear morning sky spoke volumes. The military was ushering in the new month by hammering what was left of the city into ash.

The bombardment against the dead was of little interest to him. The only thing that did matter was that the military had overlooked what was arguably the biggest threat of them all.

He spent most of the previous night lying awake, contemplating his strategy against DiMarco and his people. No matter how he sliced it, any hope of bringing down his hated enemy meant enlisting the aid of a small army... or something much worse.

A zombie convention lined Needham's riverbanks and the far side of the ruined Kendrick Street Bridge. The once familiar faces of his former friends snarled and paced the opposite shoreline, desperately searching for a way across so they could tear into him like a veal cutlet.

He had seen how acrobatic these things were. Harris had turned into a man-eating grasshopper after his death. Every victim occupying the road at the other end of the broken span seemed just as energetic. They were smart too, or at least clever enough to realize that they couldn't jump across the gap in the bridge without help. A few of them tried already. He watched with amusement as their flailing bodies bobbed down the Charles.

If he could manage to lead them to the DiMarco compound without dying in the process, the remnants of Don Manconi's forces would simplify his task immensely. The distant rumble of explosions elsewhere in the city had already lured them this far. He just had to take them the rest of the way.

Keith looked around. The lone car dangling over the ravine was out of reach of the monsters. If he wanted their help, he'd have to figure out a way to bridge the gap. There were plenty of tall trees around him, but since he lacked the means to either chop them down or lug them into place, they weren't much good to him. Fixing this problem on his own meant he'd have to get creative.

"What this calls for is a really long ladder," he mused. After thinking about it a moment longer, he cracked a grin. "Yeah. That'll work..."

He climbed back into his Cherokee and drove off, leaving the dead desperately searching for a way after him. Ignoring the occasional zombie meandering across the road, he blew through the empty intersections of Nahanton Street and raced past the wooded lots of Newton to his final destination. A double-garage, red brick building that probably wouldn't even catch his notice outside of the apocalypse. Newton Fire Department Station 10.

Keith pulled up outside the station and killed the engine. A few zombies shuffled down the street, drawn by the sound of his arrival. After seeing what awaited him on the other side of the bridge, these slow walkers were less worrisome than an irate puppy.

He climbed out of the SUV and took in his surroundings. The prize he sought gleamed through the windows of the right garage bay. The ladder truck parked inside would suit his needs perfectly. What's more, since the place appeared to be untouched by scavengers, he'd probably find some other toys in there that he could put to good use.

Keith whistled a tune as he walked up to the front door. His luck was holding up. It was almost a shame the world ended; he could've made a mint in Atlantic City.

He opened the door on a darkened interior. The only illumination lighting his way came from the early morning sunlight streaming through the windows.