Eyes of the Night by Jenkins Joel

Author:Jenkins, Joel [Jenkins, Joel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Zombies
Published: 2021-09-19T04:00:00+00:00

Part 5: The Shining City by the Sea

The landscape spread beneath them like a black parchment, and the full moon’s light penetrated only deeply enough to show the rugged shape of the shadowed land—plunging cliffs, a twisting road which snaked down the butte and into dry arroyos that ran pitch dark with the rivers of night.

Samuel T. Ogden stood atop a great, ribbed zeppelin that floated serenely over all this, a hundred gnashing, hungry zombies clawing their way up the trailing mooring lines. A warm wind blew off the unseen Sea of Cortez, carrying the charnel scent of corruption and decay.

Here and there a zombie lost its grip and went tumbling toward the dark parchment, but there was incredible strength in those festering limbs and, foot by foot, the rotting horde swarmed up the snaking lines, working their way toward the massive envelope of helium and the passenger gondola which rode its belly.

The lean and lanky Samuel drew out a Civil War cavalry saber and began working his way along the walkway, pausing his forward momentum only long enough to cut the mooring lines which were tied to stainless steel rings. Behind him, a long-legged brunette with blue-speckled eyes clambered out of the hatch which emerged from the belly of the zeppelin, and onto the top of the lighter-than-air vessel. Her long hair whipped in the wind as she paused to press a button on the object in her hand.

A knife flipped out with an audible click, and she stooped alongside Samuel, cutting the mooring lines which were fixed on the opposite side of the walkway. Each time they severed a line it went unraveling into the night. Because of the swell of the zeppelin’s ribs over its distended belly, they could not visually see which lines had zombies clinging to them, however, they knew because of the tension on the ropes. The ropes that had a lot of weight on them cut easily and sprang apart with an audible twang like a breaking guitar string.

Each time Katie Lowe knelt, Samuel could see the .38 Special revolver jutting from the belt of her denim skirt, but this was not what drew his attention. “Where did you get that switchblade?”

“Martin dropped it when I kicked him out of the zeppelin,” answered Katie.

Samuel knew that Martin had not figuratively been kicked out of the zeppelin. Katie had literally kicked him in the jaw and knocked him out of the zeppelin as they were leaving the mountain retreat of Senor Fox.

Now, fourteen-year-old Pedro climbed out the hatch, joining them on top of the zeppelin. “Theodore Gipson the Third is demanding he speak to both of you immediately. He says that as first mate on the Nuevo Zeppelin you should obey his commands.”

Samuel and Katie continued to make their way down the length of the zeppelin cutting ropes which slithered away, snakelike, over the edges of the ship’s ribs, singing out various notes depending upon the weight of the released tension.

Katie cast a glance over her shoulder at the dark-eyed youth that was but four years younger than her.

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