Never Enough Tomorrows: A Zombie Apocalypse Novel By Christopher Hugh Mills.

Roland (Day of the Collapse)

The Hunt was on light lock down after three days of total lock down. Convicts were instructed to stay in their cells unless absolutely necessary or they were ordered by the guards to vacate. They were marched to and from the chow hall for breakfast, lunch and dinner. No one was allowed to call outside the prison and the televisions were shut off. Telling Roland something was going down outside the prison walls.

Roland noticed that the guards were in full riot gear and he was sure that the shotguns they were toting were loaded with live rounds. Something else he noticed was there were less guards, and they were all on edge. Roland stood at the entrance of his cell observing the other cons, it wouldn't be long now. Something was going to give.

His crew never had a chance to make a plan thanks to the lock down. He just hoped his boys knew to group on him and stay out of the line of fire.

There was a commotion down the way and a con marched out onto the main floor, "What the fuck is going on here!!!"

The guards converged on him, shotguns raised, the lead guard shouted, "back in your cell, now!!!"

The con flipped him off with both hands, "fuck you homes!!!"

Other cons were stepping out now, crowding the guards and shouting them down. "Here we go." Roland said softly.

He motioned for his young cell mate to follow him. He steered around the building crowd that was filling up the main floor. Moochie and Duke saw him and started towards him.

When they reached him he asked, "where's Porter?"

"Don't know," Duke said, looking around nervously, "do we have a plan or what?"

"Yeah," Roland said, "stay out of that crowd."

"Roland!!!" The group turned to see Porter heading towards them...with Creepy Gardner limping close behind. Porter joined them just as there was a yell from inside the crowd and then there was the blast of a shotgun. All hell broke loose then.

Creepy Garner yelled, "follow me!!!" Roland's crew had no choice as the scene around them began to deteriorate quickly. Roland turned to watch as the guards began shooting into the crowd of cons. As he watched longer, the dead cons began to convulse and then rise from the ground. They then began to fall on other cons as well as the guards.

"Roland!!!" Moochie yelled pulling Roland's attention from the chaotic scene on the main floor.

The small crew followed close on the heels of the hunchback. Garner skidded to a stop and motioned for the group to take cover in a hallway off to the side. About thirty seconds later armed and riot gear wearing reinforcements marched by, heading for the chaos Roland and his crew just left.

Garner peeked out and then signaled for them to continue. They passed the showers and then the infirmary. They could hear other cell blocks begin their own riots. The guards weren't going to be able to hold it much longer.

"Where the hell are you leading us Garner?" Duke yelled out but Garner ignored him. They came to some double doors and Creepy pushed his way through and the crew stopped. They saw the two guards first, but it was the person they were fitting with a bullet proof vest that caught their eyes...the Warden was sweating and his eyes were wide.

The guards eyes widened and everyone seemed to freeze. Roland saw the guards shotguns were leaning against the wall so they could fit their boss with his vest. Everyone unfroze at the exact same time, going for the shotguns. One guard reached his shotgun first and started to lift it. Roland hit him with a right cross and he went down dropping the shotgun.

The other guard was slower and Moochie and Porter forced him to the ground and beat and kicked him. Duke picked up the shotgun and racked a round. Roland lifted the other shot gun and pointed it at the Warden who raised his hands above his head. Roland smiled.

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"How the hell did you know about this?" Moochie asked Garner.

Garner wheezed laughter, "I know this place like the back of my hand. I've watched them run this drill dozens of times. I knew they would be trying to get this fat bastard out of here."

"Please," the Warden begged, "just don't hurt us."

Moochie giggled and patted the Warden on his bald head. The warden and both guards were zip tied and sitting against the wall.

"Why does he have only two guards? I figured he have more fire power." Porter asked.

"My guess is," Garner said, "whatever is happening outside of here has a lot of people reprioritizing, and there's been some call outs."

Roland nodded, having already guessed as much, he pointed his gun in the general direction of the Warden, "what is happening out there?"

The Warden gulped, "it's getting bad. Things are coming undone out there. Rumor has it that the President and Vice President are hiding out in these hidden underground bunkers, along with other top cabinet members and other important people.
"The dead are rising and attacking the living but a lot of people are still blind to what's going on."

"But you're not blind, are you chief?" Roland asked with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "where were you heading off to once you got out of here?"

The Warden looked away until Roland waved the shotgun in his face. "My family has a cabin up in the mountains, my wife and daughters are already there waiting for me."

"Whoee," Duke said, "we headed for a certain cabin Roland, I've seen pictures of his wife and kids, really pretty."

"You stay away from my family you sick bastards." The Warden said, but Roland hit him in the gut with the barrel of the shotgun knocking the wind out of him.

"That's right boys," Roland grinned, "our dear Warden is going to lead us to his cabin. If he cooperates we may even take it easy on his women folk."

His crew all chuckled at that. Out in the hallway there was a noise, it sounded like moans. Roland motioned for Porter to step out and see what it was.

Porter went out and was back in under a minute, he was pale as a ghost, "they're all over...and heading this way."

"Who?" Moochie asked.

"The...the guards and...and cons," Porter stammered, "the Warden was right...they're all dead...but they are moving this way. Hundreds of them."

Roland jerked the Warden to his feet, "you lead us out of here...now!"

The crew started moving out of the room, "what about these two?" Duke asked, indicating the guards.

"Leave them," Roland said, "they'll slow down the...the whatever they are coming this way."

The guards began begging to be taken with the cons, Roland shot both their legs out from under them. Then he and his crew fled, leaving the guards screaming on the ground.

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The Warden led his captors to the motor pool and they all piled into the limo that was going to spirit him away to his cabin. The cons all laughed about being able to travel in style. Moochie got behind the wheel.

There were a few more guards outside on the grounds. When they saw the shotguns to the Warden's head they were frozen as to what to do. But when the dead began to pour out of the prison, they opened the gates and then fled behind the limo to their own personal vehicles.

Roland and his merry band were now free.