by Cluke, D. L.
"He's right, Anna. We need his expertise. We need all the help we can get or we're not going to survive."
Anna looked at Becca, seeing the compassion in her eyes, but also her resolve. She had made her decision. As her best friend, Becca knew all about Josh, knew all about how abusive he could be. She hated him as much as Anna did. But Becca was right, they needed him.
He owned and operated Trail Guide ADK. He knew how to traverse the woods and he knew how to track. He was great at what he did, with most of his income coming from babysitting rich men on Big Buck Hunts. He knew guns, he knew knives, and he knew how to survive in the wilderness.
"Anna, can I talk to you for a second, in the bathroom?" Becca could sense her friend's hesitation and slowly guided her away from the two guys invading their small dorm room.
The second the door clicked closed, Becca turned on the fan, shrugging at Anna's bewildered look.
"You know how sound carries out of this bathroom, figured we could use a bit of privacy."
Both girls just stood there for a minute, their minds wrapped up in the terrible turn of events. Just a few minutes ago Anna had been so sure about her plan. So sure they could survive. Then Josh had strolled in and done what he always had done. Taking any self-confidence she had and smashing it to pieces with a few simple words.
"I know you don't want to hear this Anna, and I hate that I even have to say this, but we really do need him. We don't have the first clue on how to survive out there. Josh came all the way from Smithville and he survived. I think we need to hear what he has to say, how he thinks he can get us out of here."
Anna knew she was right, she knew it would be suicide to go out there alone. What had she been thinking? That she and Becca would grab a couple of broken brooms and fight their way through a city of those monsters. How stupid and naive she had been. She let out a sigh and hugged her friend.
"Please, just don't let us be alone together. You have to stay with me."
A humorless smile inched onto Becca's face, her eyes sad and missing their usual sparkle.
"Anna, you're stuck with me. I have nothing to go home to anymore."
The girls clung to each other, grieving the loss of Becca's family and fearing for what the future would bring. They were interrupted by a loud banging on the bathroom door.
"We really need to get moving," barked Josh, "those things were already on the lower floors, there's no telling how long we have until they make it up here."
"Together?" Anna looked at Becca, squeezing her hand.
"Forever."
Anna turned, put on her best fake smile, and opened the door to Josh's irritated face.
"So what's your plan, Josh?"
The irritation slipped off his face, replaced by his usually cocky and charming smile.
"I thought you'd never ask."
Chapter Seven
"Your truck is parked where?" Becca demanded, throwing her hands in the air.
"I left it outside the city, at the edge of a field. There was no way I was getting in and getting back out."
"Oh great, so now we only have to traverse 10 miles of the city with a bunch of those crazy infected... infected things running around? Well, why didn't you just say so? Sounds like a walk in the park. Urghh!"
"Well, actually it's 10 miles to the edge of the city and then another mile to get to the truck"
"Even better!"
Becca humphed as she threw herself onto her bed, covering her face with a pillow as she screamed at her frustration.
"You guys haven't been out there, Josh is right," Brandon spoke up for the first time, moving his pudgy form to sit at the end of Becca's bed and rubbing her leg in comfort.
"The infected react to sound and movement. If we go now, before the city is completely overrun and they are distracted by all the idiots making the noise, we stand a chance of making it out alive," Josh glared at Becca. "Either get up and come or stay and die. The choice is up to you."
"They can't get through that door. I'm perfectly fine right here until somebody rescues me."
"What don't you get about it? I'm the one here to rescue you. No one else is coming. Everyone else is dead! Stay here if you wish, but the water won't run forever and soon you'll be out of your little snacks and your choices will be too starve to death or be eaten alive."
Josh moved away from Becca, grabbing a backpack and tossing a few bottles of water and snacks, as well as Anna's clothes and a flashlight.
"We need to keep this backpack light, no extras that aren't necessities. We need enough food and water to last two days," he glared at Becca, tossing what he assumed were her sneakers onto the bed. With a heavy sigh, she started putting them on. She grabbed a backpack and started adding necessities.
"What if it takes us longer than 2 days to get out of the city?" Brandon asked, helping Becca fill her backpack with granola bars and water.
"Then we most likely didn't make it and food will be the least of our worries."
They lined up behind Josh at the door, Anna directly behind him followed by Becca with Brandon bringing up the rear. Josh held a machete type knife in his right hand. His left hand held firmly on the door handle as he peered out the peephole.
Anna's grip tightened on the broken broom, her heart thudding loudly in her ears as the reality of their plan sunk in. There was no way this was going to work, but before she could voice her concerns, Josh eased the door open. She had no choice but to follow him into the hallway, trying to step as light as possible.
Anna could hear Becca's harsh breathing right behind her, feeling the moist air on her neck. She only hoped Becca wouldn't stab her with the broken mop handle if she stopped too quickly. Brandon stayed close to Becca, a crowbar in his hands. Anna wondered if he knew how to use it. Their life now largely depended on these two men, one an avid video gamer with the body to prove it. The other, a rather muscular outdoorsman. One of which she had been trying to escape for 2 months. Now here she was, pressed up against him.
The whole world is dead or dying and I am stuck with him... The irony.
Anna was pulled from her thoughts as the door they were walking by shuddered in its frame. The girls jumped, letting out screams as the trapped monster started frantically hammering on the door.
"Shit," cursed Josh, "we need to get out of here."
He hurried them along towards the stairwell at the end of the hall. The sound of fists hitting the door caught the attention of the few other students who had stayed over winter break. Anna could hear them talking, questioning what all the racket was.
"Shit, shit, shit!"
Anna slammed into Josh as he stopped dead in his tracks. His large frame blocked her view but she didn't need to see to hear what was going on. Growls and screeches filled the hallway. The infected had made it up the stairs, following the sounds of the trapped infected and confused students. The second the infected laid their eyes upon fresh meat, they let out howls of triumph and started sprinting towards their prey.
"Go! Go! Go! Head to the other stairwell now!"
Brandon ran back towards the dorm room, slowing down like he meant to turn and lock himself back in.
"No, you idiot! If we go in there, we will never get out!"
The sound of thundering feet filled the hallway as the group sprinted to the far end of the hall. Anna saw a few doors open, curious faces peeking out to see what all the racket was.
"Close the door!" Anna screamed as she ran by, but it was too late.
She heard the confused woman as she let out a terrified scream. Anna looked back and saw the horde of infected barreling her way. Within seconds, the sounds of death reached their ears. The infected, distracted by easier prey, piled into her room, tearing chunks of flesh from her body as the woman was quickly overwhelmed.
More screams joined the chorus of chaos as the infected jumped on any poor soul who came out to help.
The screams faded as the group piled into the stairwell, with Josh closing the metal door gent
ly behind him. He peeked through the small glass window, quickly ducking down to the floor to avoid being seen.
"Well, that was a lucky break."
"Lucky? Lucky for who? Those people are dead because of us!" Anna faced Josh, her voice an angry whisper as she glared at him with tears in her eyes.
"Yes, lucky for us. I'm sorry sweetheart, but the sooner you learn the way this world works now, the better chance that you will survive," Josh glared at her, his cool blue eyes lacking any empathy for the people that were just killed.
"Now what?"
Josh pulled his eyes away from Anna and turned towards Becca.
"Well, now we must decide. Do we go down, hoping the parking garage is clear of those things, or do we head up and risk taking the fire stairs on the outside of the building and alerting every creature in eyesight of our location?"
"I think we should head to high ground and see how the situation has progressed in the last hour."
"And if we get stuck up there or those things make it onto the fire escape?" Josh's eyes narrowed in challenge. Anna did not like where this was going. She knew how he loved to be in control at all times.
"Well, I hate to break up this macho party," Brandon stood, looking down the stairwell, terror on his face, "but it appears the decision has been made for us."
The growls of the infected floated upwards. They shambled their way slowly up the stairs, noses constantly sniffing for their next meal.
"They don't know we are here yet. Let's keep it that way. Move quietly and stick to the wall so they don't see us. Be quiet and don't let that door slam when we get to the top," Josh yanked Anna to her feet, edging her against the wall and taking up the rear.
They made their way upwards, pausing at each landing to ensure there were no infected on the other side. Her dorm was located on the 6th floor and Anna counted the steps between each floor with growing terror. How many times had she and Josh run up these stairs? Giggling and kissing in every alcove, his body pressed firmly against hers as they stole a moment of passion together. Those days were long gone and what were once such happy memories had become tainted by his abusive behavior.
After what seemed like ages, they reached the final landing. A sturdy metal door greeted them and Brandon gave one final look at the infected on the floors below before stepping onto the roof. They were distracted by something several floors down, aimlessly beating against the door. They seemed unable to operate doors, at least for the time being.
Thank God for small favors.
Anna shielded her eyes from the bright afternoon sun, hearing the soft click as Josh shut the door. He gestured to Brandon and together they heaved heavy boxes of shingles into place. Piling them high and successfully barricading the door. The roof was slated for an upgrade in the next few weeks, but that wasn't going to happen. A lot of plans weren't going to happen.
"We need to stay quiet and stay out of sight," Josh stressed as Becca wandered towards the edge.
"How are we supposed to know what's going on down there if we don't look?" Becca rolled her eyes and Anna was glad to see some of her spunky personality returning. The news of her family had shaken both of them to the core. There was still a slim hope they would survive, but it would be highly unlikely Becca would ever see them again.
"We wait until dark."
“Dark? I thought we were getting out of the city tonight?"
"It has taken us the better part of the afternoon to get to the rooftop. Do you really think it's wise to get caught out after dark with those things taking over the city?"
"So we just wait here? Wait until we become dinner for those things?"
Anna watched the exchange between Josh and Becca. Brandon moved to stand next to her.
"Should be interesting," he murmured, keeping his voice low so the others wouldn't hear him.
"What?" She gave him a side look, darting her eyes back to the drama unfolding on the roof.
"These two," he nodded to the arguing pair, "I'm worried about those two bringing the entire city down on our heads if they keep up with this."
Anna realized he had a point. She could occasionally hear the growls of the infected down on the street below, seeming to get excited in response to their raised voices. They continued to challenge each other.
"Enough, both of you!" She wedged in between them, feeling her chest press up against Josh's muscular form. She inched back a bit. The last thing she needed was him thinking they were going to reconcile. "We need to work together and your bickering is just going to attract those monsters."
"Your father said to get out of the city as soon as possible. Staying on this rooftop until dark is doing the opposite of that!"
"We need to stay until dawn," Josh interrupted again, "we will need the entire day to make it out and that is without running into any mishaps.”
"Great, just great. Now we get to sleep up here as well."
"Becca," Anna grabbed her friend's shoulders, "as much as it pains me to agree with him, he is right. We can't go down in the daylight. Every creature on that street will see us. And we can't risk going after dark. What if we run into those things?"
"But your father-".
"My father isn't here. He hasn't seen what is going on. Josh has. We need to trust him," she lowered her voice so Josh wouldn't hear her, "for now."
Becca stared at her long and hard before shrugging off her hands and walking over to Brandon. Anna turned to Josh, "So, what's the plan now?"
"We wait until just before daybreak and make our way down just as the sun is coming up."
"That's it? That's the great plan?" Becca scoffed, "From the sounds of it, those infected are everywhere down there and will be on us as soon as we step foot on the tarmac."
Josh's face lit up and he pulled two bottles and a lighter from his pack.
"That's why we need a diversion."
Chapter Eight
Josh woke the group before first light. None of them had really slept. Screams and growls rang out all around them. The sounds of a dying world. They stood together, shivering in the cold morning air, peeking over the side of the building. They could just make out the infected below, shambling aimlessly around. Every so often a distant scream would attract the attention of the infected. As one, they would run towards it, only to stop a few hundred feet later when the sound failed to repeat.
“So, what exactly is your plan again Josh?” Becca’s mood had not improved from the day before. If anything, she was even more hostile towards Josh this morning. Anna really didn’t blame her, but she knew they needed him and until they didn’t, she needed her to play nice.
“You see that Office Supplies delivery truck down below?”
He had walked to the backside of the building, pointing down to a white blur in the darkness.
“I noticed it yesterday on my way in. I’m going to set it on fire and start screaming on this side of the building. The smoke and sounds will attract all the infected in the general area to this side, leaving the fire escape clear on the other side.”
“Isn’t the truck on the wrong side of the building?”
Brandon pointed north, where far in the distance Anna could see fields and beyond that, the rolling countryside.
“Yes, but there’s only one fire escape on this building and it’s on the South side. Once we’re down, we will need to go south for a couple of blocks and then try to cut over and head north.”
“So we’re just going to walk through a city full of thousands of infected? We barely made it out of the dorm room and up the stairs. Those things are fast and they don’t seem to tire.”
Anna could hear the judgment in Becca’s tone, the disbelief that this could even work. But what choice did they have...
“Most of the infected I saw on my way into the city were slow, jogging speed at best. It would appear that the longer a creature has been turned, the slower they are. They also seem to run in packs based on that speed. So if we see one sprinter, we need to either run or take
it out before it calls to the others.”
“How did this even spread so fast? It just isn’t logical for the world to be so overrun already. It’s barely been a week since the asteroid crashed. How did it get,” Anna waved her hands in the direction of downtown, “here already?”
Josh, having always had the answers to everything in their relationship, seemed to have an answer for this as well.
“The last I heard, before the CDC went silent, was that the original theories were completely wrong. At the crash site, they assumed the virus was spread through airborne pathogens, breathing and coughing near others. Health officials thought the original 10 patient zeros had transmitted it to the EMTs who transported them to the hospital, to the health officials that looked after them, and so on and so forth. And since people are contagious before they even show symptoms, they spread it to their families who spread it to others.”
“All of that makes sense. What’s the point here? We need to get moving.” Anna watched as Becca’s lip twitched, a sure sign of a pending explosion. Josh ignored her snarl and continued.
“Yes, it makes sense. To a certain degree. What didn’t make sense is how those ten people and the immediate ring of exposure were able to spread it to enough people to have near simultaneous outbreaks in several major ports around the globe.”
Anna’s head was spinning. She hadn’t thought of the logistics of the virus, having been consumed with fear as she watched governments fail to contain it. She only knew that it spread fast. Much faster than the common cold or flu and that had been enough information for her.
“The answer, or at least the best theory the CDC has, is that the dust in the tail of the asteroid contained the virus.”
“So as it entered the earth’s atmosphere, it sprinkled the contagion around the globe,” Brandon spoke up, having caught up with the logic. “The asteroid traveled around the globe before landing in the jungle outside Manaus. It was closest to the ground as it passed directly over the city, infecting millions.”