Apocalyptic Beginnings Box Set

by M. D. Massey

  “I want to see my mom,” I said.

  “Fine.” Claire escorted me to my parents’ room, as Thomas made it to Henry and helped him as much as he could.

  I stopped in the doorway, seeing my helpless, frail mother quietly lying there. “Mom…?” I whispered, walking to her side. “Claire?” She left her anger at the door and made her way over to the bed. “Please, tell me she’s still alive.”

  Claire checked her pulse and listened to her chest. “Yes, but barely. I think she probably needs fluids or she isn’t going to make it.”

  “I don’t know what to do. We can’t force her to drink anything. She’s unconscious.” I tried hard to hold it together.

  “She needs an IV with fluids. I would imagine a transfusion would be best, but we can’t do that…for obvious reasons. I’m willing to bet that bastard just about tapped her dry.”

  “I don’t think Henry has everything we need to give her fluids.” The situation became more hopeless by the second.

  “But there’s an Urgent Care down on the main road. I saw it when I came into town.” I looked over my shoulder to see Thomas standing outside my parents’ bedroom.

  “Right. Thank you, Thomas.” How could I have forgotten? I stood. Claire grabbed me.

  “Oh no, you don’t. You’re staying here. Thomas, you and I will go.”

  “Wait! No. It’s too dangerous.” I couldn’t let them go on their own.

  “We either do this or watch her die. It’s the best shot that she has.” Claire was adamant. I decided arguing with her wasn’t going to work, so I sat back down on the bed next to my mom. Claire and Thomas walked into my room, telling Henry what the plan was, then they walked by to go to the stairs.

  “Claire!” I yelled. She stopped and looked my way. “Thank you. And you, too, Thomas. Be safe.” They both nodded.

  They ran down the stairs. I heard them talking to Nick about the plan. He wasn’t happy about it, but he wanted Mom saved as much as Claire did. He knew he spent most of his energy trying to get everyone into the house. Plus, he was still weak from the bite and needed more blood. Someone also needed to keep an eye on Kellan, and Nick was the only one who could handle the task.

  Chapter 20

  Claire and Thomas climbed into Henry’s truck. “You ready?” Claire asked.

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  She handed him Sophie’s gun. “Only shoot if you have to. Remember, we have to conserve.” He nodded. Claire started the truck and they pulled away. “So…tell me about yourself. Are you from around here?”

  “No. I’m from ’bout seventy miles north.” His voice was subdued.

  “Did you travel alone all that way? On foot?”

  “Yeah, mos’ly. I did hitch a couple rides, though.”

  Claire was curious. Maybe too curious. “Is your family alive?” After she asked, she wondered if she should have.

  Thomas was silent for a moment. “No.” Trying to get information was like pulling teeth. “I killed ’em.”

  She gasped. “I’m sorry.”

  “They were undeads, or whatever you call them.” He cleared his throat. “My sister, too. She was six.”

  Claire teared up. “Oh, Thomas. I’m so sorry.” He nodded. She decided not to probe anymore when he withdrew even more than he already was.

  They made it to Urgent Care without any issues. It was far too quiet for their comfort. “Have you raided here yet?” she asked.

  “No. I’ve been camped out at the gas station for ’bout a week.”

  “Hopefully we can find what we need for Maria.”

  “You know what we’re lookin’ for?”

  “Yeah. My father was a doctor. I’m not, but I spent many days in his practice with him. I wanted to be a doctor for a while, but I changed my mind after…” She couldn’t finish the thought. If she did, she would have had to acknowledge their deaths, and it wasn’t the time. “Anyway, you ready?”

  “Yeah, I guess.” Claire turned and looked to the back seat. She grabbed a shotgun, not knowing if it were loaded. They jumped out of the truck and stalked toward the front entrance.

  Thomas stood guard while Claire peered in through the tinted glass, seeing nothing but rotting, partially eaten bodies piled up near the entrance. She knew the smell would be nothing like she had ever experienced before.

  “Thomas, do you have a strong stomach?” He shrugged. “You might want to find it. The entrance is blocked by bodies. We’re going to have to break in.”

  They both looked around for a large rock of some sort. Then it dawned on her. Claire walked back to the windows and started swinging the shotgun like a baseball bat. It took a little effort, but she finally managed to bust through, the smell hitting her like a truck.

  The pungent odor attacked her sinuses and overwhelmed her. It was the worst she had smelled since the whole madness began. She jumped back and bent over, trying to hold in the contents of her stomach, failing. Thomas stood next to her, unsure of what to do while she vomited. He kept a careful eye on the situation around them.

  “Umm… Claire?” She held her hand up. “There are a couple tryin’ to get through the broken window.” He said it in such a nonchalant, emotionless way. “I’m gonna shoot ’em.”

  Claire wiped her mouth with her shirt. She needed to recover and get down to business. Three were stumbling over decaying bodies, reaching through the broken glass, but they were hindered by the metal rail in front of the windows.

  “Let’s play some baseball, Thomas.” Claire grinned.

  Exuding confidence, she grabbed the shotgun again, putting it over her right shoulder, and walked toward the three undeads. She raised the shotgun, holding the muzzle in her hands.

  “Want to see a home run, motherfucker?” With one quick, vicious swing, Claire took off the heads of two undeads. They were in such a bad state, their heads exploded when she hit them.

  The third wasn’t as close to the window as she needed him to be to swing. She never thought all the softball she played as a kid would pay off. Thomas walked up to the third undead, which was still inside, and waved at him.

  “Hey, asshole. Le’s do this!”

  The undead stumbled closer. Thomas dove out of the way as Claire swung, hitting the undead, his head exploding like the other two. They both screamed, jumping up and down with excitement.

  “Anything that looks useful, grab.”

  “Yup.”

  She could tell Thomas wasn’t new to looting. They both covered their noses with their shirts and worked their way through the broken glass and rotting corpses.

  In silence, they powered through the building, sneaking past roaming undeads. They found a supply room that was virtually untouched. It was like hitting the lottery.

  There was everything from antibiotics to intravenous supplies, including the fluids they needed. They grabbed everything they could. Unfortunately, neither one thought to grab a bag or box before they left the house in case they did hit the jackpot. Thomas took off his shirt and tied the neck and sleeves closed.

  “There. Instant bag.”

  Claire smiled at his intuitiveness. They loaded up his shirt with everything they could.

  “Good thing you were wearing a huge shirt.”

  “Some advantages of losin’ weight and wearin’ too big clothes to begin with, I guess.”

  Just before they walked out of the office, they grabbed a couple water jugs, full and still sealed. Somehow, Thomas hoisted one on each shoulder. They made it back to the truck unscathed. As soon as they both slammed the doors, they yelled, “WOOOO!” Claire fist-bumped Thomas. “Now that was awesome. Not a single bullet spent. Pleasure working with you, Thomas.” He blushed.

  They drove back to the house. She figured they were gone less than an hour. Claire pulled the truck into the driveway. She shut it off and stared at Nick pacing on the porch, smoking.

  “Smoking?” She jumped out of the truck, hoisting the shirt full of supplies over her shoulder. She felt like Santa Claus
. “Nick? I didn’t know you smoked. Where did you get those?”

  “I’ve smoked before. Mostly weed, but whatever. Although that does sound good right about now. I found them hidden in the garage. My father was a closet smoker. Mom knew, but never said anything to him about it. I figured why the fuck not? What does it matter? I’m half dead now anyway.” He looked sullen, his eyes watery, his cheeks red.

  “How’s—”

  He held up his hand. He took a long drag, then dropped the cigarette on the porch, putting it out with the toe of his boot. He exhaled fully, releasing the toxic chemicals. He thought about how ironic it was. He chuckled a little, then cleared his throat. He looked at Claire. “She’s gone.” The words almost didn’t come out.

  Claire dropped the shirt and it opened, spilling the contents. Thomas scrambled to pick up their treasure.

  “No.” Claire shook all over. “No. No. No!” She ran up the porch steps. Nick tried to grab her before she blew through the front door. He ran in behind her.

  “Claire! Stop!” Yelling for her did nothing. She stormed through the house. Kellan was alone and awake, but still tied up. He moaned something as Claire fled past him to go up the stairs, Nick right behind her.

  I heard Nick yelling, then running. I didn’t know who it was. It could have been Kellan for all I cared. There was no way I was leaving my mother’s side. While she passed, I lay next to her so I could hold her hand.

  “Elaina, can I come in?” I glanced over my shoulder toward the door. Claire covered her mouth with her hands, Nick behind her. When I nodded, she walked into the room, trying to stifle her cries, and sat on the bed beside us. Nick walked in and stayed at the foot of the bed.

  “I want him dead,” I growled.

  “Henry wants him alive…for now,” Nick said.

  “Fine. I’ll kill him myself.” I got up from the bed. My face was red, my eyes swollen from crying. “Give me my gun.” I held out my hand, waiting impatiently for that cold, heavy piece of steel that was going to be my way of avenging my mother’s death.

  Nick thought about it for a moment, then said, “I don’t have it.”

  “Where is it.” I wasn’t asking. I was demanding.

  “It’s downstairs somewhere.” He knew he wouldn’t be able to stop me.

  I turned for the door. Henry stood in my way. I tried to duck around him, but he moved, blocking me again. “Elaina, I won’t allow it.”

  “Don’t tell me what to do.” I tried to push around him, and he moved again, moaning in pain. I was surprised at his swift movements, considering the injuries he sustained. Oh, let’s not forget he was on the verge of being true dead himself.

  “Please, listen to me. I’m begging you. I need to get as much info from him as possible. Then I’ll let you do what you want to him.” He braced himself in the doorway with one arm, reaching for me with the other. “Come. Let’s go to your room, and we can decide how to bury your mother.” I looked between Henry and my mom.

  “We’ll stay here. Henry needs to lie back down. Go with him.” Claire sat with my mom, fussing with her hair. I was hesitant, but she was in good hands.

  I reached back to Henry and he took my hand. I put my arm around his waist, careful not to cause him any more pain, and we walked back to my room. He groaned with every movement. I finally got him settled onto the bed. Sophie sat on the stool at my old vanity. She looked sullen and lost.

  “You guys have everything covered here. I’m going to go back down and keep an eye on the asshole.” Slouching, Sophie walked out of my room and went back downstairs.

  The silence between Henry and I was thick and heavy. He stroked my hand as I leaned back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. Several minutes went by before he said anything. “Love?” I mumbled an acknowledgment. “How do you want to do this?”

  I clenched my teeth together, my throat burning. “I want to stand in front of him and pull the damn trigger. Simple.”

  “I know that. Your mum, love.” He was trying to be tender and gentle, taking my hand.

  I tried to take a few deep breaths to put out the fire in the back of my throat before I opened my mouth again. I could feel it coming on at a rapid rate and had to let it go. I covered my face and wept.

  All the anger, all the guilt, all the frustration, all the sadness poured out. I didn’t know how much time went by, but daylight disappeared and the silence of the night moved in. Henry was a soldier by my side, holding me the best he could with his injuries.

  After an eternity, I was finally able to speak. “I don’t know what to do, Henry. She wanted to be cremated, but that’s not an option.”

  “Right. Our only option is burial right now.” We decided that, at daybreak, we would bury my mother.

  Henry was drifting in and out of sleep when Claire peeked in. “Hey,” she said in her soft, gentle voice.

  “Hey,” I managed.

  “Thomas and I brought back a bunch of supplies from the medical center. We found painkillers and antibiotics. I was thinking it might be a good idea to get some into Henry.”

  “Yes. That’s a great idea, Claire.”

  “I’ll be right back.”

  As she turned toward the door, I got up and grabbed her. “Thank you,” I whispered in her ear.

  “I didn’t get back fast enough,” Claire said in a soft voice.

  “It’s not your fault.” She frowned at me and walked away.

  Several minutes later, Claire walked back into the bedroom with an armful of supplies. She also had water and a few little packs of snacks. Henry was sleeping, although it wasn’t peaceful. I couldn’t imagine what his nightmares must be like. I begged so many times for him to talk to me about them. I just wanted to help him.

  “Since he’s sleeping, let’s take a look at your head.” Claire separated my blood-matted hair. “I’m going to clean it and put a little of this antibiotic cream on it. Okay?”

  “Yeah.” I winced several times, shuddering when she washed and applied the cool cream to my scalp.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Mentally, emotionally, or physically?”

  “Let’s start with physically.”

  “Like shit, like shit, and…like shit.”

  “Excellent.” She handed me a snack pack of Oreos. “Eat these. Oreos make everything better.” She knew they were one of my favorites. “We found them when we were being opportunistic at the medical center.” She smiled. I couldn’t help but return it. No matter what happened, I could always count on Claire to bring me back.

  She reached over to Henry and tried to wake him. He mumbled in his sleep. I leaned over and whispered in his ear. “Hey, Henry. Come on. Wake up.” I stroked his messy hair and ran my fingertips over his ear. He opened his eyes as much as he could with all the swelling. The brilliant green still had not returned to the shiny state they were in before. I wondered when he would need more blood.

  “Hey, love.” His voice was scratchy.

  “Claire’s going to look you over and give you medicine.” He groaned. I wasn’t sure if it were an agreement or not, but Claire went ahead and checked him. She cleaned him up and, before he drifted back to his restless sleep, asked if he wanted pain killers. He shook his head. Stubborn mule. No wonder we got along so well…occasionally.

  The next morning, Nick and Thomas dug a shallow grave for my mother, making a cross out of scrap lumber. Sophie helped Henry outside so he could say a few words about her. It was very emotional. I cried the entire time, feeling guilty for all the times I was an awful person to her. I felt like a piece of me got buried with her that day.

  Nick managed to get Henry back into bed, then came downstairs again. He sat on the couch directly across from Kellan. They stared each other down. Kellan would say something unintelligible through the gag, and Nick would smirk in amusement. It was a battle of wills.

  Chapter 21

  -November 2014-

  After several days, Henry was able to navigate the stairs by himself.
His injuries seemed to be healing, his face several nice shades of purple, green, and yellow. The swelling had decreased around his eyes, but his lip was scabby and cracked open. His ribs were still bad, so I had to tighten up his support bandage several times a day. I wasn’t sure if it was helping him, but he felt it was.

  He made it to the kitchen, Sophie following him in. “We need to address our lack of ammo. If we get attacked—”

  Henry held up his hand. “Right.”

  “I can take a couple of the others,” Sophie said. “We can go back to your place and get the trunks, plus whatever supplies we can carry.”

  Henry stood silent, leaning against the counter. “I could go with Claire and Thomas.”

  “No!” Sophie barked. “You are not going anywhere. You’re barely standing, Henry. I won’t allow it.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “You won’t allow it…” He repeated the words, trying to process them.

  “Exactly.” Sophie folded her arms. “I guarantee Elaina will not allow it, either.”

  “I don’t recall either one of you being the leader here. Nor I do recall asking permission.”

  “Things change when our fearless leader is injured. You know you aren’t in any condition to go back, so do not even try it. We have to conserve ammo, and there is no way you will be able to fight.”

  She was right, and he knew it. Defeat was written all over his face. He rubbed his eyes. Sophie stepped into the family room and waved Claire and Thomas in. “We need to go back to Henry’s flat. I would like the two of you to come with me. After hearing about your batting practice at the medical facility, I think both of you are perfect for this job.”

  Claire spoke up. “I don’t know. I was hyped up trying to get what we needed for Mrs. Cooper.” Thomas stood silent, as usual.