Urban Decay

by Paxton Matthews

  Erica looked down at the kitchen table, "I hope my roommates are okay."

  "You had two right?"

  "Yeah, Anna and Robyn."

  "I'm sure they're okay," Theo replied. Even though he had no way of knowing. "Who knows, maybe someday, you'll cross paths with them again. Your friends that used to live here too."

  Erica discreetly wiped a tear away with her jacket sleeve. Theo saw her do it, so he decided to change the topic. "Okay, why don't we do something about those other living room windows?"

  "Yeah sure," Erica answered.

  The two of them walked from room to room searching for anything useful. Boarding up the windows would be ideal, but both Theo and Erica knew that the dead things outside would hear the pounding noises. The corpses would flock right to the house. In the master bedroom of the lower flat were two tall bookshelves.

  "Hey, we can do something with these," Theo said.

  "What?"

  "Move them in front of the windows. If the dead things bust in here, the shelves could slow them down enough, buy us some time to get to someplace safer."

  Erica was hesitant. She didn't like messing with her friends' things. She felt guilty enough as it is propping their fridge up against the broken back door. "I don't know Theo, there might be something else around here."

  "Well there's nothing upstairs at all, and there's nothing in the basement and from what I saw in the garage, we're screwed in that respect too. I mean, we just have to move them in front of the windows. They're big and sturdy."

  Erica shook her head, still leery about the idea. Theo knew what was going on. He put a hand on Erica's shoulder and looked her square in the eyes. "Erica, listen to me. I think that given the circumstances we are facing, your friends would be perfectly fine with this. We have to do what we have to do. If your friends were at your place, would you be okay with them moving your stuff around to make some sort of barricades to keep these things at bay?"

  After thinking about it for a few moments, Erica said, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I didn't think of it like that."

  "And hey, if they come back here, you can blame the mess on me. Deal?"

  Erica giggled, "Deal."

  Moving those two heavy bookshelves was not an easy task. To save time, they decided to try and get them in front of the windows without removing the books. Some of them fell out, landing on Theo's right big toe. He hadn't yet put his boots on, so it hurt like hell.

  "Yeah, that didn't seem pleasant," Erica told him.

  "What was your first clue?" Theo asked. "Me hopping around on one leg clutching at my toe, or me whining like a bitch?"

  "That second one."

  Theo looked at the row of books on one of the shelves, "Hey look, 'Brain Droppings' by George Carlin. I love that book."

  Erica too looked at the shelves, seeing them filled with numerous books, "If we get bored, we're not short of reading material, I can tell you that."

  "Yeah, I can use this apocalypse as an opportunity to better myself and learn to read gooder." Erica rolled her eyes at Theo. Theo just laughed at her. "Admit it, Erica, I'm starting to really grow on you."

  "Yeah, like a tumor."

  "Whatever," Theo said and sat back down at the kitchen table. "Are you feeling a better now that this place is a little more fortified?"

  "Yeah, I think so. It's not so bad I guess. What about the other windows around here though?" Erica asked, referring to the kitchen windows. She then pointed down the hall at the master bedroom, there was a large window in that room as well.

  Theo rubbed his chin, thinking about Erica's question. "Okay, the kitchen windows are too small for the dead things to get through. We should be fine there. And plus, we need to see what's going on out in the backyard and alleyway. As far as that window in the master bedroom, we should be alright with that one too. It's high up off the ground, and as long as the corpses don't climb over one another to get at it, we should be okay."

  "If you say so," Erica replied.

  "Hey, I'm not Bob the Builder over here."

  "I prefer Handy Manny myself."

  Theo sighed, "Of course."

  "Shut up, and let's grab some lunch."

  Instead of their usual granola bars, Theo and Erica dined on a bag of chips and a small pack of cookies. It was still raining heavily outside, and some dirty corpses meandered on past the yard soaked with water and mud.

  "Wow, they look nastier than usual," Theo said.

  "I'm never gonna look at the mud fights I had as a kid the same way again."

  "Those dead things just LOOK like they smell."

  "I know what you mean."

  "They probably smell like a combo of wet dog and ass."

  Erica just looked at Theo. "How do you come up with this shit?"

  "Yes," Theo quipped.

  Theo and Erica began rummaging through the kitchen drawers and pantry looking for anything else in the house that could be of use. Erica found a large silver flashlight that was still in working order.

  Looking through a drawer in the counter, Theo found a large steak knife, he handed it to Erica. "Here, so you don't have to resort to your pistol."

  Erica took the blade and stabbed at the air, "Nice."

  "Is it wrong that that turned me on a little?" Theo joked.

  "Yeah," Erica replied bluntly. "Don't make me use this knife right away you perv."

  "You win," Theo relented. "We should use that flashlight sparingly. The dead things outside might see the light."

  "Okay, good idea," Erica said. She was still feeling hungry, so she went to break off a piece of granola bar when she noticed that Theo and her were about to have a problem on their hands. "Um, Theo?"

  "Yeah? What's up?"

  "We're out of food."

  Chapter 5

  It took a moment for what Erica had just told Theo to register. He didn't know how to react.

  "Theo? You still with me there?" Erica asked him.

  "I...um...yeah. I just can't believe it. Out of food so soon? How is that possible?"

  "Look," Erica answered.

  All that they had left was half a bag of potato chips and two bottles of water. Theo looked at the meager supplies and just shook his head at the sight. "I can't believe this shit. I don't get it."

  "What's there to get? We ran out of food. My friends probably didn't have time to go grocery shopping."

  Theo knew eventually they would have to find someplace to get some more supplies, that was a given, but he didn't think it would be this early.

  "I guess we just misjudged Theo. It happens," Erica told him.

  Theo scoffed, "Yeah, but we can't just venture on up to the corner store now, can we?"

  "Thanks Theo, that helps," Erica fired back sarcastically. "I guess we'll just have to be very careful with what we do have. Think we can stretch this out?"

  "If we're really, and I do mean REALLY careful? Maybe another day, if that."

  "Damn," Erica said under her breath. "You do know this area well enough though, right?"

  "Yeah, better than most. Why?"

  "I suppose we could sneak up to one of those little neighborhood stores. What are they called again?"

  "Bodegas?"

  Erica nodded, "Yeah, that's what they're called."

  Theo smiled at her, "You really aren't from around here, are you?"

  "Nope. Born and raised in the burbs. Anyways, are there any bodegas around here we can try and get to?"

  Theo looked up at the ceiling and tried to remember. He knew a lot of the shops that lined both sides of Michigan Avenue, but he had absolutely no intentions of heading out to that road anytime soon. "There's one about five or six blocks away, but with all those dead things running around? The place might as well be on the moon."

  "Crap."

  "Tell me about it."

  Theo sat back in his chair and exhaled loudly, and then he looked out into the backyard, and then to the house across the alley, and he had an idea. "Wait a minute, why don't
we just try the houses that are around here?"

  "Like a break in?" Erica asked.

  "Yeah, why not? I don't think we have to worry about getting arrested or anything like that."

  "Fair point, but what if the places are occupied?"

  "Good, more survivors."

  "No Theo, I mean occupied by the dead things."

  "Then we move onto the next home. We'll keep on trying until we find someplace that's empty. I think it's better than having to try some small store that's blocks and blocks away and having to lug whatever we find back here."

  Seeing no other alternative, Erica agreed. "Okay, what house do we try first?"

  Theo pointed left and then right, "Pick one."

  Erica shrugged a shoulder, "I dunno. You pick."

  "Screw it, we'll try the house to the left I guess."

  Since the two of them had already rummaged through their home looking for anything useful, they decided to look inside the garage. They moved the fridge away and walked outside. It was a warm yet cloudy afternoon day. Erica kept watch while Theo tried to get inside the garage. Neither one of them could find a set of keys inside the home that could unlock the door.

  "Screw it," Theo said and began kicking at the doorknob. After two well-placed kicks, the doorknob fell off and the garage was open.

  The air inside was stale and musty. A fine layer of dust hung in the air. Theo stopped himself from sneezing in case any dead things heard him. Theo looked around the garage and found a navy blue duffel bag hanging from the rafters, it would do quite well for any supplies they should find. Not only that, Theo spotted a crowbar resting in the corner.

  "Oh perfect," Theo said.

  "What is it?" Erica asked from the backyard.

  "I found some goodies."

  "Oh Theo, I like your new toy," Erica told him as Theo took a few practice swings with the crowbar.

  The crowbar was painted a dark orange with a silver stripe around the middle. Both ends were chipped somewhat and the paint was peeling off. The tool was around a foot and a half long, better than having to get up close with the butcher knife, Theo knew that much.

  "I can either crack them in the head with this curved end, or jab them in the skull with the pointed end," Theo told Erica. He sounded like a kid with a shiny new Christmas toy.

  Erica took the duffel bag from Theo, "Was there anything else useful in there?"

  "Nah. Just dust."

  "While you were searching, I took a peek out into the alley."

  "And? See anything interesting?"

  Erica shook her head, "Not a thing."

  "Probably won't be that way for long though."

  "Yeah, I know. Thanks for ruining my optimism."

  "Just listen for a sec," Theo told Erica.

  Erica turned an ear up to the sky, it was faint but she could hear the corpses around them, snarling and growling. She just shook her head, "Lame."

  "Come on, chin up. Let's go get us some supplies."

  Theo and Erica jumped over the fence and into the next backyard. They both peeked into the back windows of the home, but the blinds and curtains had been closed, neither one of them could see anything. And, they couldn't hear anything either. Theo rapped on one of the windows a few times trying to stir any undead that might be inside.

  "I don't hear anything Theo," Erica said.

  Theo was prepared to break one of the windows and climb inside the home when Erica grabbed the crowbar, "Uh Theo? You have a crowbar. You know, use it properly...jackass."

  "Yep, I are dumb," Theo replied. He jammed the pointed end of the crowbar into the door frame and tried to pry the door open.

  After a few minutes of just standing around and sticking out like a sore thumb, Erica was becoming anxious. "Uh, Theo? You mind hurrying things up?" At any second, a corpse could come down the alleyway and see the two of them in the yard.

  "I'm trying Erica. Just keep an eye out."

  "That's what I'm doing. But we have to hurry before any dead things see-"

  The back door opened, "Got it," Theo told Erica. "My first B and E."

  "I'm happy for you," Erica said dryly. "Now can we get the hell inside?"

  Theo and Erica entered the home and stood inside the kitchen, listening for any corpses. The middle floor appeared to be empty. Theo walked over to both the upstairs and downtown stairwells, "Hey yo! Anyone here!"

  "Theo, what the hell?!?" Erica yelled. She pulled the hammer back on her pistol and readied herself, expecting a corpse to come running out after them.

  "Hey, I'm not a fan of sneaking around, okay? I wanna see what the hell could be in here."

  The house was empty, or it would appear so. Theo decided to walk upstairs first, with Erica close behind. When they reached the top step, Theo peeked around the corner and looked down the hallway. The layout of the house was different than his and Erica's place. This was not an upper flat.

  "Hello? Anyone there?" Theo said. "We don't want any problems. We're not here to hurt you."

  "If you're messed up, we can try and help you," Erica added. After waiting a few seconds for a reply, the two of them moved down the hallway, checking out the three bedrooms.

  All of the rooms were torn apart; dresser drawers opened, clothes scattered about all over the floors.

  "Looks like whoever lived here took off in a hurry," Theo told Erica.

  "Yeah, looks that way," Erica replied.

  "You wouldn't happen to have noticed a car sitting out front did ya?" Theo asked.

  "I'm pretty sure the front was empty. No car."

  "Maybe they parked in the garage."

  "We'll check that out later, let's see if there are any supplies."

  Whoever lived in the house emptied the fridge and most of the pantry. Luckily for Theo and Erica, the cupboards had numerous canned goods and a few packages of crackers. Theo spotted a few half-filled cereal boxes atop the fridge as well. He began filling up the duffel bag with the food items.

  Erica took a quick peek out of the front windows, "Yeah, there's no car out front Theo. You're right, they probably left in a hurry."

  "Okay, let's load up and get the hell out of here."

  "Think we should leave a can or two behind?" Erica suggested.

  "What for?"

  "Just in case someone gets in here and needs some supplies. Like we did."

  "Yeah, go for it."

  Erica reached into the duffel bag and left two cans of soup on the kitchen counter and she and Theo left the house. Erica hopped over into their yard first. As Theo was about to jump over, a corpse wandering down the alley spotted him. Theo heard the growl coming from behind and heard the corpse climbing the chain link fence. Theo dropped off the fence and watched as the undead attacker stumbled over the top of the gate and landed in the backyard.

  "Theo, what the hell are you doing?" Erica asked. "Get away from it!" Erica shouted. She raised her pistol preparing to fire at the corpse.

  Theo waved Erica off, "I got this," He said and raised his crowbar in the air and waited for the dead thing to get back to her feet.

  The corpse, a smaller woman wearing a blood-spattered pink sundress and parts of flesh bitten away from her forehead, charged towards Theo. With an upward swing, the curved end of Theo's crowbar landed underneath the corpse's chin, causing her head to jerk backward. Theo flipped the crowbar around and as the corpse's head came forward once more, Theo drove the pointed end through the middle of the dead thing's skull, and then quickly removed the crowbar. The undead woman fell to the grass in a heap.

  "Theo, get your ass over here before more of them spot you," Erica said from their yard.

  Theo turned and hopped over the fence and he and Erica ran back inside their home. They quickly moved the fridge back up against the back door and both of them plopped down on the kitchen floor. After taking a few deep breaths, both of them began to crack up.

  "I can't believe that shit worked," Theo said in between cackles.

  "I know. I swear, I t
hought that the house was filled with the corpses," Erica replied. She got up off the floor and emptied the contents of their haul onto the kitchen table. "How long do you think we can make this stuff last?"

  "I'd say a little while," Theo replied. He looked at the end of his crowbar, the pointed end was covered in bits of brain matter and dark red, almost black, viscous blood. "Oh man, look at this." Theo took a quick whiff, "Oh it smells too."

  Erica turned away and covered her mouth to keep from puking, "Damn Theo, clean that up."

  Theo rinsed the end of the crowbar off in the sink with a bottle of water. "I don't know about you Erica, but I'm beat."

  "Me too," Erica replied. "The sun's going down in a few anyway. Let's get some sleep."

  After the two of them stored their supplies in the cupboards, they retreated to the basement to get some much needed and well-deserved rest. Theo barely made it to his pile of clothing he was so tired.

  Chapter 6

  Theo's eyes darted open. He sat up and looked around the basement. It was night out, and light from the full moon was shining up against one of the basement walls. Considering everything that has happened, Theo had been sleeping relatively well.

  Theo thought he had been having a nightmare, but he couldn't really recall what it was about. He vaguely remembered something about being chased through his new home by the undead.

  Theo saw that Erica was completely out. Erica was sleeping soundly and wrapped up in a dark green throw blanket. Growing bored of just sitting on a pile of clothes on the basement floor, Theo decided to head upstairs. He figured that if he just stayed out of sight, and kept quiet, the dead things wouldn't be a problem. Theo grabbed his crowbar and trotted up the stairs, keeping quiet so he didn't wake up Erica. He was glad to see that the living room window barricades were still intact, as was the back door to the house. Theo walked up the stairs to the upper flat, the carpeted steps let out a low creaking noise with every step.

  "Damn, it's too warm up here," Theo thought. "Screw it, I'll go to the roof."

  Theo slipped out onto the awning and climbed out onto the roof. He could see the undead mulling around in the moonlight. It was much cooler out on the roof Theo noticed as he sat down up against the chimney. He heard a corpse saunter on past the house, the bottom of its feet scraped the pavement with every disjointed step that the dead thing took. Theo examined the houses on the opposite side of the street, looking for any kind of movement, any kind of light. He thought that maybe someone would be walking around inside with a candle, flashlight, something. Theo was looking for any flicker of hope that there might be some other survivors out here, but he couldn't see anything save for a few dead things. At least on the side of the street across from Theo and Erica's house, there was nothing.