I went back to the front of the fire department and watch them from there, I watched for a few hours then I feel myself drifting away and falling asleep.
9 day four: stalkers
I wake up sitting in front of the windows and the sun rays piercing through tiny holes and hitting my eyes, almost like someone putting a flashlight in my face, it shines through the peeled off paint little spots that I have missed while painting. I look through the holes up to the roof to see if I can spot the people I saw on the roof of the building yesterday night. They must have left because I don’t see anyone up there or maybe they saw me and now they hiding out of sight. I have to get on to the roof and get to the bottom of this. I should be able to see them from there if they still on the roof.
I stand up when to the kitchen to get a glass of water and put my hand under the cool running water to wash my face. Thor walks over to me and jumps up and walk to his bowl, I pick it up and fill it up with water, Eric comes into the kitchen and says “Morning Pete, Where were you last night? you never came to lay down”. I replied, “I was just sitting and watching the roof and I did see some people on the roof, but they must have gone away because I don’t see them anymore”. Eric says, “We can check from the roof and see if they still up there, and don’t worry, I kept quiet as you asked me to Pete I did not tell them anything”. “I was thinking the same thing we can do it in a few minutes, I just want to check on Jenny and Holden something did not seem right with them” I replied.
I walking into the room Holden is laying on the bed rubbing on this ankle, He looks up and says “ Hey, Peter ”. I replied, “Morning Holden I see your ankle is getting better, Do you know where Jenny could be?”. He replies “ Yes, She said, she was going to sit on the roof to get some fresh air “. “Can I ask you something, Holden?” I ask. He replies “Yes, Sure you can, What do you want to know?” I ask, “Do you know if any of the people that you were with would maybe come to look for you?, The reason why I’m asking is, I have seen some people on the roof last night and I had to keep an I on them because they were looking at the fire department”.
He replies, “No! I doubt that anyone of them would come looking for me, I was the most popular of people around them and how could you tell that they were looking for me?” “ Because they had the same type of clothes on that you had on” I replied. He replies, “Peter, Please don’t try to find out who they are, if you cross them they will make you pay for it, As I told you when you asked yesterday if you come across them rather go the other way”. I ask, him “Why are you so afraid of them, What did they do to you?” He said, “Peter, Do you really want to know because it is not a pretty story and when I tell you, you going to look at me with a different set of eyes when I’m done, there are some things that happened that I don't want to talk about and rather forget its too horrible to tell you and please don’t tell you, brother or Jenny”.
I replied, “Believe me when I tell you it will stay between us and I will not say a word to them”. “ I don’t want them to panic and think less of me because they had me do stuff I’m not too proud of and it still hunts me” Holden replies. “Its okay Holden, I understand but you really should tell me, it’s better if I know then I can protect my brother from them”. He replies, “Okay, but I warned you its not a pretty story”. Holden starts to tell me how he got involved with the group that's stalking us now. He said it started almost like its happening now. Holden and some of his co-workers were carpooling together and they were trying to get home when the dead started to walk and eat human flesh. They drove on the main road that heads out of the city and past our town but a group of the dead started to appear out of nowhere, he tried to move around them and slammed the car into the group and it spanned out of control and the hit a concrete wall and flip the car they were four in the car only three made it out.
Then they had to run on foot because the dead were closing in on them they jump from the bridge and head back into the city. While running around looking for another means of transport they felt that people were following them even when they were sleeping they could feel them look. The next day they woke up and one of them just vanished without a trace and they began sleeping in shifts to avoid being kidnapped. They were still looking for the person that went missing but could not seem to find anyone until they appear looking at them from rooftops always appear out of nowhere. They call themselves (The Grimm Reapers) and once the mark you and set their sights on you they don’t stop until they get you. Then Holden and his friend run until they came to a shopping mall and climb the roof ladder until they got to the to and rest there for a few hours.
The Reapers lost their trail and they got away, Holden and his friend then saw them walking around the mall looking for them and gave up and turn around. Then it got darker and they saw flames in the distance they climbed from the roof and follow the flames that were lighting the way for them they get to a building without a roof and the flames got bigger they begin to hear noises and approach slowly trying not to alert the people that were making the noises. They looked through some holes and try to see what's going on and then they saw the person that was with them tied up and getting lowered over a fire. It looks like these people are cannibals and the noises they make it's almost like animals in a jungle, what on earth could make people behave like this.
Then they saw a huge fat man that's called (The Butcher) he walks around with an apron and a big meat cleaver and the people go wild as the lift his hand and show them the sharp edge of the meat cleaver. Then someone came and shouted a loud noise and they begin to get quiet one of the people that's in the group of the cannibals past them at the place they are hiding his face was so misformed and black ooze was coming out of the lumps in his face their eyes look as black as night. Then Holden and his friend looked to get away but there was so much movement around the area they hiding, if they get caught they know what's waiting for them they probably get eaten. They saw The Butcher cutting a piece of flesh from there roasted friend's body and start eating it like they at a barbeque and then he gives the cleaver to the person that made the loud noise to make them quiet. Then Holden and this friend ran away from the place they saw there friend got eaten and run down around only to get surrounded by The Reapers and got knocked out and tied up. Holden wakes up as they get carried into a dark tunnel and down a manhole where he saw lights, they get placed in a corner and told to sit and listen to what the leader of the Reapers group are telling them. His friend starts to shouts, “let me go, let me go now”. They smack him over the head with a piece of brick, He is hit unconcise and they dragged him away. He gets dragged down a long corridor and at the end of it is a cell with metal bars next to it is stairs that go up. The leader of the Reapers tells Holden tomorrow she will put him through a test if he fails him and his friend dies and if he passes the test one of them gets to live and join their group. The next day he gets untied and the bag lifted from his head they drag his friend in and puts him next to him they throw a knife to the ground in front of them and says “You need to pick it up the first one that draws blood will pass the test and live and join them.
Holden grabs the knife and gives his friend a small cut on the hand the blood runs down his fingers and drips to the ground. He leans forward next to him and whispers in his ear softly “When they take you outside you run and don’t look back”, then they drag him the way they came into the exit of their underground lair. The leader of the Reapers then grins and says, “Put him back” and one of the caped men said, “Yes! Mistress” and he grabs Holden by the neck and shoulder and drags him back to the cell. The caped guard throws Holden in the cell slams the door and says, “You one of us now, better do as you told and there will be no problem do you hear me”. Holden shakes this head up and down on his knees of the muddy floor, he crawls to the back of the cell and sits down silently and full of fear his hands are shaking. Then a thought settles in his head, he hopes this friend Mike makes it out alive, and if they going to kill him why? it is not li
ke there are any police left that he can go get.
Then the guard appears again and he said: “Hey you, put this on”. He hands Holden a cape and some army combat boots, a belt with a knife holster on it, and opens the cell door. “Once you are done you coming with me the Mistress wants to see you and hurry up she those not like to wait for anyone,” says the guard. The guard then went up the stairs and open the door a bright light came shooting out like the lights at a stadium on a game night, Holden looks up the stairway to see what's going on up there he hears voices talking but can't make anything out on what they talking about he crouches and walks slowly up the stairs to the door and sees a shadow coming and runs back to the cell. Suddenly the door closes and he hears footsteps came down the stairs towards the cell and he went to go sit in the corner of the cell curling his knees up towards his chest in fear and tilting his head forward and down he looks up to the shadow approaching the cell door.
The shadow opens the cell gate wider Holden looks up and its the guard he says, “Come one up the stairs”. Holden stands up and walks to the cell door the guard grabs him by the shoulder and say, “Move faster do you want me to carry you up the stairs too”. Holden opens the door at the top of the stairs the bright light shine as he enters he puts his hand in front of his face to block out the sharp light, then a woman shouts “Give him a pair of dark sunglasses you fool”. Then another voice replies, “Yes! Mistress”. Someone hands Holden the sunglasses and he puts it on the guard stand next to him and gives him a hit in the ribs with his elbow to stand up straight and push out his chest and turn his head with his hand to look at the woman sitting in a chair. The woman stands up and says, “Reapers stand up straight the world did go to shit but not us as people, a person posture says a lot about that person his character and if he is a slacker or hard worker”. One of the Reapers gets called over and Mistress points to Holden and says, “Take that one out with you and see what he can do”. He walks to Holden and said, “Come on dude, why you just standing there if she sees you stand around you will get punished”. Holden walks with the Reaper out of the building on to the roof and asks, “What's that bright light about”. The Reaper replies, “I’m Kai, That bright light is something we working on but the power keeps failing it is for protection against that cannibal's group they hate the sun and bright lights we have to pay in people or dead bodies to keep them away from us”. Holden replies, “We saw them me and my friend Mike they were burning one of our friends over a fire and started eating him”. Kai says, “Sorry to hear about your friend that did not make it and the one that cannibals ate but if your friend Mike is strong they will keep him as a fighter if his not his going to be dinner that's just how it is around here”. Holden says, “So, How do things work here?”. Kai replies, “First thing is to keep to yourself don’t talk a lot it shows weakness if someone takes something from you and they go tell Mistress then you going to have to fight for it until one of you give up and if you slack and don’t work hard you don’t eat”.
Holden quickly realized that this is not a place for him and that he should get out the first chance he gets if they not going to kill him the cannibals will. Kai and Holden went out together for five days in a row, Holden even ends up in the Mistress good gracious then Holden gets send out with one of the new people to show them the ropes because Kai was busy helping with the lights. Holden says, “When we had to deliver the dead bodies to the cannibals that were the last straw for me, I had to get away Peter, so I ran away from the recruit when went on a supply run and be for a got near the building I got chased by the dead and I had to jump and bust my ankle, I climbed up the building at the roof ladder and I was stuck there on that roof because my ankle swelling did not want to go down you saved my life thank you, Peter.“Well Holden, let me go check on the roof if I can see any of that Reapers and we have to get a plan of escape, if what Holden said is true then we can't get caught by the Reapers” I replied. I went through the kitchen Jenny came out of the locker room area, I ask her, “Did you come from the roof now did you see anything funny up there because we might be in big trouble”. I climb the ladder to the roof and climb out by the skylight onto the roof. I crawl on my stomach so that they can't see me watching them hours go by but still nothing, then I start to hear whistling like people are signaling each other.
I crawl to the edge of the roof and look over it. I see a movement of torches down there in the streets and dark alleyways and I see someone looking up to the roof of the fire department with a pair of binoculars. I pull my head back and hope they did not see me, it looks like they are surrounding the whole fire department, but the weirdest thing is that there are no dead insight, not even the once that always walk a block away. I start talking to myself and said they stalking us and trying to scare us, did Holden tell me the whole story or did he leave out the important parts to safe his skin, something does not seem right why did they come with a small army just for one man, even I can take him on, this does not make sense. I have to get him to tell me the truth because it’s not only his life that's at stake.
10 lifeline
I lay on my stomach on the roof of the fire department, looking down and watching what the Reaper's next move will be they have the manpower but they not advancing what could they be up to. I have to get back down we need to get out of here before they try to force their way in and we have nothing to fight them with I have the gun but what are four bullets going to do against an army of Reapers. I climb down the ladder into the fire department Jenny runs to me inside the locker room and say, “Did you see what's going on outside there are people with torches they look like they could be friends of Holdens”. I replied, “Yes! I saw we need to talk to him and find out what’s going on”.
We walk to the room Holden is laying in he gets up and said: “I heard you guys talk what happened”. I replied, “Come with me and Jenny pack a few things like foodstuff that we can eat while we on the go and get the bag of weapons it’s not much but we need something to fight with if we get cornered”. Jenny went to get some backpacks to put the food in, Holden and I walk to the front of the fire department, I walk in front and he is limping behind me. He asks, “Where are we going, where are you taking me?” I walk up to the window and say, “Look through there and see for yourself what's going on then you tell me”. I point to the window there is a small opening where the paint came off where he can look through. He approaches the window and looks through the small opening I can see his face changing and the fear settling in he gets pale sweat drips from his forehead and he stutters saying, “How Aaah how do they know I was here”.
Jenny comes into the front office where Holden and I are standing and says, “Guys everything is packed and ready, Peter, what's our next move?” Holden says, “You should leave me here, I will just keep you guys back thank you, Jenny and Peter, for everything that you have done but I deserve this, I knew they would come for me but I did not think it would be here”. Jenny stands in shock and looks at me saying, “Say something, Peter! We can't just leave Holden here, they will kill him”. I look at Holden and he goes to the ground sitting and looking down I can't help to feel sorry for the guy. “Okay, Holden, tell why are they after you what happened and I want the truth his time” I replied.
Holden stands up and says, “The recruit and I were sent to deliver dead bodies to the cannibal groups it is a deal they have going on with the Reapers, We arrived there on time like we always do we did everything I that they teach me to do and then the recruit and one of the cannibal group members had a falling out and he got killed. They killed him our a pack of cigars that we picked up on our way. What was I supposed to do when they had a falling out I don’t even smoke and I’m not a guy for conflict I just stood back. Then he got out his ax and chopped the recruits head off and I ran and got out of that place as quick as I can after that I could not go back to them and tell them what happened, how do I tell the Mistress that her nephew died on my watch”. “Okay Holden, I believe you if you stay they will
kill you, we have to go and get out of here” I replied. We run into the kitchen Eric ask, “Peter, Jenny, what's going on”. I replied, “We have to get out of here Eric there are some horrible people outside if we don't go now I fear what they will do to us”. We hear the fence shake as they try to break it down and the engines of cars reffing. Holden shouts, “They trying to get in what are we going to do Peter”. I replied, “Holden grab as many bags as you can and go to the roof take Eric with you, hide behind the ventilation shaft because some of them might be on the other roofs of the buildings watching our movements”.
Eric and Holden run through the locker room to get to the roof, I grab the weapons bag that we have and take out the gun and put it in the back of my pants and hand the weapons bag to Jenny. Thor runs to the front door of the fire department and starts barking. Jenny says, “He must have heard something, Pete, we have to go”. I replied, “I’m not leaving my dog”, I run after Thor and grab him by his dog color. Jenny shouted, “Peter! Come on, we have to go”. I pick Thor up and run with him to the locker room, Jenny is climbing the ladder to the roof and I hear the roars and growls of the dead in the shower room. They push against the door of the shower room and goes wild because of the noises coming from outside. I climb up the ladder with my one hand with Thor, on the other hand, I reach the roof and crouches so whoever is watching cant see me. Eric Holden and Jenny come out from behind the ventilation shaft, I tell them to duck lower so that we don't get seen by the Reapers. I ask, Jenny to hand me the weapons bag and I look through it for some rope but can't find it, I ask, “Where is it?”.
No Hope (Book 1): Seven Days Alone Page 5