by Maya Riley
The second explosion stirred my feet into action, and I stumbled over the crumpled door as I scampered away. I cleared the area with record speed, leaving the building in my wake before the little girl’s body even hit the ground.
Blyss
Sunlight streamed through a ripped curtain and pierced my eyelids. I threw a forearm over my face to shield myself from the unwelcome signs of morning, hissing as I rolled over into the shadows. A wet tongue lapped at my cheek, bringing a smile to my face, and I moved into a sitting position. I wrapped an arm around my pup and held her close, relishing the warmth of her fur.
After a few minutes of morning snuggles, I pulled the bandages from her front paw and checked the injury. A few days ago, we had found ourselves in a sticky situation. Puppy and I were out scavenging when we came upon an old campsite and looted the goods after taking care of the infected, previous occupants. They must’ve recently been turned, because the fire was low but still going, the coals still sparking with heat. I’d had a moment of sadness that more people were lost to the virus, but quickly tamped it down since those thoughts wouldn’t do anything other than distract and hinder me. It should’ve been a sign that there might be more in the area, but I had let my guard down for just a moment, a brief mistake that could prove deadly in this world.
A rotter surprised us while I was focused on looting, and Puppy jumped on its back to take it down before it got to me. At some point during the scuffle, she fell into the fire and burned her front paw. I’d been running around since then, collecting any burn creams, bandages, and ointments that I could get my hands on.
I used a wet cloth and items from the first aid kit to clean and treat the wound, my heart clenching as she cried out when my hand slipped, and pressed too hard against a particularly sensitive spot. “Shhh,” I soothed. “I’m sorry. It’s going to be okay.”
She forgave me with a lick to my cheek as I wrapped up her paw in a clean bandage and sealed it with a kiss. The burn was healing nicely, appearing to get a little better with every touch.
Puppy wagged her tail and licked my face in thanks. Laughing, I untangled myself from the furry, slobbery ball of love and moved over to the corner crate where I kept our food. I lifted the lid and reached in for the tin of tea bags. It didn’t take long to boil water in the fireplace. Water sizzled as it poured into the mug with the tea bag. Letting it steep, I grasped the mug close, grabbed a bag of beef jerky and a can of pears, and headed to the front door with Puppy quick on my tail. I secured the door behind us and sat down in a chair on the porch with Puppy at my feet. Sipping my tea, I let the steam warm my nose in the cool, morning air. Puppy’s relaxed state let me know the area was safe for now.
All was silent aside from the occasional bird chirp, and dew still lined the tips of the grass. It was my favorite part of the day, the calm of the early morning. It was almost as if the world forgot about the horrors it contained, and the beauty shone through instead.
Finding this little cabin in the woods was one of the best things I could’ve done. After leaving the somewhat safe confines of the diner, I had nowhere else to go. I ran around for a while from place to place, scavenging for food and water, and made an appalling discovery of the human race. Driven by the most basic instincts of survival, some people banded together. They became malicious in their quest to survive, and took the lives of anyone they came across for the mere purpose of taking what they had. Even if they had nothing.
I tore apart the beef jerky and tossed pieces to the pup at my feet, watching as Puppy snapped her jaws wide to catch every morsel. I removed the dagger from my waistband and used it to puncture a hole into the can and eat my breakfast. Juice dribbled down my chin as I ate the pear slices directly from the blade. The world was at peace while we enjoyed our breakfast, and watched the birds fly to the ground to enjoy their own meal of worms.
I continued to sip my tea as memories of the previous day began to enter my mind. I recalled the danger I’d been in for dropping my dagger, something I never intended to repeat. And Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome who had saved me rather than leave me for dead, like some others would’ve done. I began to wonder if I’d see him again, and then pushed the thoughts away and started to make a mental plan of my mission for the day. I had things to accomplish and didn’t need to waste any daylight pondering the whereabouts of others. I could come back to those thoughts later.
Once the cup was empty, I shuffled back inside to clean up. Since my scouting missions the last few days had been mostly for medical supplies, I needed to go back out for food and any other necessities. After making sure the backpack was empty, I turned back around and was greeted with a wagging tail. She knew I was going to head out on a scavenging mission.
“I would love to take you with me, baby girl, but your paw…”
Woof! The bark trailed off into high-pitched whining, her sad eyes begging to be included in my mission. Puppy’s tongue lolled about as she jumped up and down as if to prove she was healed enough and ready for some excitement. I couldn’t blame her, I’d also go crazy being cooped up here alone, while my only companion was gone all day. She let out a high-pitched whine before jumping up and placing her front paws on my shoulders. With her tongue still out, she gave my face a good licking until I fell back on the floor in laughter. She could take down an army of rotters and trot away mark-free, but she never lost her desire for fun. She could make me laugh, even on the gloomiest days.
“Alright, alright,” I cried out in between her licks. “Alright!” I used an arm to hold her back with a laugh so I could stand up. Taking the hair tie from around my wrist, I used it to put my brown hair into a ponytail. I finished getting dressed for the day in old cargo pants, a black tank, green jacket, and hiking boots. One benefit of having taken over this cabin was the extra clothing and boots that were left behind. Not everything fit, but I made do. I would much rather spend the day inside relaxing with Puppy, but we were running lower on food than my comfort level would prefer.
I slung my backpack on and turned to my ever-growing pile of weapons that I’d been collecting over the months. Every time I came upon some abandoned blades or a rotter that was still stumbling around with a dagger in its belt, I would snatch it. I even had a growing collection of backup weapons hidden under a loose floorboard. The first weapon everyone scrounged for after the outbreak were guns. While they did a decent job at taking down rotters, and unfortunately each other, bullets ran out. With no more companies to make them, guns became obsolete, while daggers and sharp objects had a much longer shelf life.
I secured a dagger into my waistband, slid a smaller one into my boot, two throwing stars into my pants pocket, and two more knives into my backpack. I was not going to be caught without a weapon again. The door shut behind us as we headed out into the morning light. The house we were heading to was about a mile walk and we passed a lot of wildlife on the way. Since the virus didn’t affect animals like it did people, the human population dwindled while the animals thrived.
Two crows cawed from the rooftop of a large, blue building. The house had seen better days back when the Hennesson’s called it home. Once news of the outbreak reached the city, they packed up and were amongst the first to leave. Whether they left to reunite with other family, or they fled to find some underground bunker to wait out their days until it was deemed safe to resurface, no one knew, and no one left alive cared—at least, as far as I was aware anyway. Not many people knew about the wealth they kept hidden inside, which made this house the best place to hit up for supplies.
I’d babysat for the family when I was a teenager trying to save up some money. The only reason I knew about their family’s secrets was because little Jimmy marked me as his favorite, and decided to tell me all of them. Normally I didn’t care, their lives and livelihoods were their own business, but it was benefiting me now.
This was my first stop a few days ago when I was looking for medical supplies. The secret panel in the master bedroom still hid a large
amount of supplies that no one else had been able to find, although it was mostly food and no first aid supplies. Other survivors had torn the place up trying to take what they could carry, but they failed to find the stash Mr. Hennesson had hidden for purposes such as this. Why they didn’t take it with them when they left, I may never know.
With the large amount of supplies in this house, it would have made for a reasonable place to hide and wait out the rotter-pocalypse. Unfortunately, a lot of people were drawn here; the sheer size and worth of the house made it seem like there’d be riches left inside for the taking. It was better and safer that I’d found the small cabin in the woods to hide out in with Puppy. Staying off scavers’ radar quickly became a means of survival.
Sometimes scavers were more dangerous to come across than rotters—living people who didn’t bat an eye at harming or killing anyone they encountered. They were vicious in their kills and took what they wanted, not just what they needed. For a while, I’d ran and hid and watched people destroy each other to get supplies. I was too horror-stricken to interfere and had no knowledge of protecting myself at the time. Even now, I would still prefer to avoid confrontation if I could. Constantly fighting for your life could get exhausting.
The oak front door stood slightly ajar and we slipped inside. The coast looked clear and my ears picked up nothing but silence, so I continued on down the hall to the master bedroom where I had left the stash hidden.
I slid the bed away and pried up the loose floorboards, exposing the goods beneath. I began shoving what I could into my bag, filling it with cans of various foods, but was careful not to weigh it down too much for me to transport it back. Unfortunately, the majority would have to be left behind and claimed another day. I set my bag aside, replaced the floorboards, and slid the bed back into place before Puppy jumped up and laid down, watching while I continued to go through the clothing. I quickly shoved a couple of shirts and a jacket into the remaining backpack space. It’d be nice to wear some clean clothes again that weren’t riddled with countless tears and holes. Not to mention underwear, fuck, what I would give for some clean, new underwear. And toiletries, hopefully sometime soon I would luck out and find some hygiene products that other survivors missed.
Using my jacket sleeve, I wiped a few layers of dust off the tall, standing mirror next to the closet and took in my features for the first time in months. My dark brown hair had grown longer, and was currently tucked back in a hair tie with flyaways sticking out in random directions. My average frame had slimmed down from all the running and fighting and sparse food. My previously haunted brown eyes were now filled with determination for survival, and I had Puppy to thank for a lot of that.
A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth from the warm feelings I had with Puppy in my life. She made the dark world a little less daunting.
A low warning growl was the first sign I had before light shuffles sounded from down the hall. I placed a hand on my dagger and took a defensive stance. Edging myself over to the doorway, I leaned my back against the wall and listened to the oncoming footsteps. It sounded like two pairs of feet, which were too coordinated to belong to anything but the living.
Scavers.
Puppy’s warm body pressed against my legs and she stood rigid next to me, waiting for my signal to attack. We could take down two scavers if it came to that. I’d faced some before and each time I barely managed to escape with my life. It wasn’t until I had met Don when I’d learned to fight. Sadness crossed my heart as I wondered what had happened to him, but I shoved the feeling down. Now was not the time to get distracted.
My pulse picked up as my ears caught the sound of approaching footsteps. As they slowly grew closer, I gripped my dagger tighter and jumped into the hall, ready to face the threat and get this over with. Raising my dagger, I prepared to strike.
In front of me, two males jumped back at my sudden appearance and their eyes opened wide in surprise.
One of the guys was missing his left eye, which would give me an advantage, and his hair was cut short, showing off the eye patch. The other one had dirty blond, shoulder length hair, with calculating blue eyes that watched my every movement.
Puppy quickly joined me, jumping in front of me with teeth bared, daring them to try something with a menacing growl.
Both men raised their hands in surrender, throwing me for a loop. Normally, most people would jump straight into a fight, skipping all the preamble, especially the scavers. Hell, I didn’t know why I’d even hesitated. I stood there, dagger raised, and waited for them to make a move, to attack, or try to steal from me what I was stealing from the dead. They didn’t. Still, I wouldn’t let my guard down.
We remained standing in the hallway, our eyes locked in a standoff, daring each other to make the first move.
Goldilocks let out a breath. “Look, we have no intention of hurting you, unless you hurt us first. We are here looking for supplies, just like any other. Unless you intend to make the first blow, I ask that you lower your weapon. Or at least call off your guard dog.”
“And why should I do that? I’ve seen what scavers do.”
Goldilocks took a moment to think, and then backed up a step. “Here. I’m stepping back. I won’t make any advances on you, and you don’t get all stabby on us. We’re not scavers, we’re only trying to survive.”
“Although if a fight is what you want, I’ll be happy to oblige,” the one with short, dark hair chipped in, causing Goldilocks to thump him in the chest with the back of his hand.
Their eyes shone with sincerity, and my head whirled with confusion. Yesterday, a stranger helped me out, and today two, strange men didn’t want to fight me unless it was self-defense. Either I was more visibly threatening than I gave myself credit for, or there were some decent people still left in this fucked-up world.
Glaring harder, I lowered my dagger, but only slightly. Just enough to give them a chance to prove themselves, but not enough to be caught off guard. I wondered if they were the friends that Lincoln had mentioned yesterday. How coincidental would that be? My mouth opened to voice the question when a low chorus of wails filtered in from farther down the hall.
Shit.
“Look, lady, we could stand here all day in a stare off, trying to determine whose dick is bigger, or we could point our weapons toward the rotters and work together to get out of this situation.” The one with short hair had a point.
He turned to face the larger threat down the hall and I was met with a view of his backside. This may have been a terrible time to notice his bubble butt.
The increasing noise heading in our direction alerted us to the trouble we would soon be in. Sounds of furniture scraping across the wood floor from down the hall let us know the rotters were just plowing right on through.
I ran back into the bedroom and stopped in my tracks at the sight of several decomposing hands sliding against the windowpane.
Puppy’s growl increased in volume, threatening dead ears that wouldn’t react. With rotters at the window and more down the hall, the only two exits from this room were compromised.
We were surrounded.
Grunts sounded down the hallway, the two men must’ve decided to try their chances with the other direction. I had two choices—I could open this window and find out exactly how many were outside waiting for me, or I could join my comrades-by-circumstance in the fight through the house. I went with option B, at least I’d have some help to fight them off this time, which was a pretty rare luxury. Two hands could only stab so many at once.
I pulled a second dagger from my bag and ran into the hall toward the sounds of fighting, which was coming from the large living room. The two men were deep in combat, outnumbered and surrounded by more rotters than I had ever seen together in one place. There were at least a couple dozen stumbling in from every doorway. Bloody saliva fell from their mouths and pooled around their feet as they moved, and I scrunched up my nose in disgust. They were nasty things and I never wanted to end up as
one. The rotters inched closer, their decaying bodies only able to move so fast. Still, they were going to overwhelm us with their numbers.
I scanned the area, noting Bubble Butt took the left side while Goldilocks cut down the middle. Signaling Puppy to follow, we headed toward the right side of the room and began taking down the enemy in a flurry of blades and teeth.
Blood and flesh spewed in all directions as my blades slashed through the rotters. Bodies piled up on the floor as they were each taken down. Growls rang out while Puppy sank her teeth into the threat and took them down one by one. Times like this made me eternally grateful that the Void Virus didn’t affect animals. Once they lay motionless, she moved onto the next.
As the rotters came at me, I continued to swing, slicing at every spot of decayed flesh that I could reach. Chunks of skin and sticky substances fell to the ground as I stabbed the rotters in the eyes, ears, forehead, and anywhere else I could reach that would make them stop. Another one stumbled over toward me, its jaw opened wide and prepared for a bite. Spinning low, I dodged, ended up behind the rotter, and swung my blade, imbedding it in the back of its skull. With no time to tug it free, I had to let it go and reach for the one in my boot. I stood back up right as gnashing teeth filled my vision, and then lunged, lodging the knife into the side of the rotter lady’s face. She seemed oblivious to the knife poking out of her cheek, the intrusive object not slowing her down in the slightest.
With a grunt, I pulled the knife out and stuck it through her eye, pushing it deeper until she fell to the ground, motionless.