Kellie's Diary (Book 4)

by Jenner, Thomas

  In the next train there were more of them trying to come through. I didn't want to keep shooting at them, I just wanted to get the hell away. Chances were the others on the train were already being attacked. I needed to protect Lydia.

  We needed to get off the train. I took Lydia outside and we were riding through some streets, and a bunch of big warehouse type buildings. I figured we'd be okay at least for a while. The drop to the ground was a few feet down from our platform, and there weren't any grassy areas, it was all street. I heard them coming in behind us, so I told Lydia to hold my hand tight, and that we had to jump off the train. She got scared and kept saying she didn't want to. We were arguing, but at the same time, zombies were coming in behind us. We only had two choices: jump off, or die getting eaten. She didn't want to do either, but I knew we didn't have any other ideas.

  I counted to three, and I jumped down and Lydia fell behind me. When I landed, she fell on top of me, and I felt a pop in my right ankle. I haven't felt anything hurt that bad in a long time. Not since my ear going out, anyway. Lydia and I looked back at the train, and the last car passed us. There was no going back to it now, even if we wanted to. We'd never be able to catch up.

  I sat there for a few minutes. I kept checking around to see if there were zombies around, but I didn't see any. My ankle was burning, so I checked it. It was already puffing up and was kind of red. I wanted to yell, but I didn't want to attract attention, so I kept my mouth shut and grinded my teeth. Lydia asked if I was okay, and I showed her my ankle. She said sorry, but I wasn't mad at her. All I cared about was getting away. It's not like getting hurt is the worst thing in the world.

  Barb, we don't have a home. We're alone again. I mean, Lydia's with us this time, but... it's weird. All this crap happened so fast, I haven't had much time to think about it. I still don't have time, we shouldn't stay long. God, this sucks.

  I stood up, but my ankle kept wobbling and it hurt worse when I put my weight on it. I tried taking a few steps, and I was able to walk, just not very fast. Lydia wasn't saying anything, she just stared at me. I know she's probably mad at me, but I hope she can see why I did what I did. She's not new to zombies, but I think she likes to pretend it isn't happening.

  I looked around the street where we jumped off. We were at a crosswalk, and across the street I saw a bar, where we are now. I tried to listen for anything, but the only thing I could make out was the train getting further away.

  I showed Lydia where we were going, so she picked up her bag and we started walking. Well, I was limping, she was walking. The sun was just about down by then, so I was glad we had somewhere to go right away. I kept looking every possible direction for zombies or people, but it was deserted. We went inside and there were some rats that ran away when we opened the door. Lydia jumped, but I told her they wouldn't hurt her. But the fact that they were there made me wonder– I only ever saw rats where there was some kind of food around.

  Lydia sat at one of the tables, and I checked the rest of the rooms out. This place isn't too bad, but it smells funny. I found out why... turns out there's a dead cat behind the bar. I didn't bring it up with Lydia, there's no reason to. The storage room doesn't have much, it looks like it's been hit already. Even the alcohol shelves were practically empty.

  We'll stay the night, but not longer than that. It's not completely secured in here, and the walls don't look very sturdy. One night to rest, then tomorrow we'll look for somewhere we can stay longer. I'll let you know when we find something, it's too dark to do anything now.

  Chapter 12 – April 16, 1999

  So we found this small apartment complex. It's not in much better condition than a lot of the other places we've been checking out, but it'll work for now. We're staying on the first floor, I don't feel safe being high up on the third floor, with the way things are falling apart in here.

  Didn't have much luck on food. Found a bag of beef jerky. I just let Lydia have it, I'm not too hungry right now.

  This place creeps the hell out of me. The way everything is breaking up inside, all the plants, weird bugs, it just doesn't feel right.

  Lydia's doing her quiet routine again. I guess this time I don't blame her. I just want to sit here for a while and calm down. Way too much has happened the last day or two, and I need to just talk to you for a while.

  I'm letting Lydia borrow the polaroid camera for a while, and I told her to stay inside the building. Hopefully she actually listens.

  This is the most quiet it's been in forever. I got used to the train sounds, so now it's weird to me without it. I have to stop getting used to where I am. It's like the town all over again, except it's even less people now. And Sarah's gone. Shit. I have no idea what I'm going to do. I feel like I depended on her too much, and I'm really lost without her here.

  Okay, so she was pissing me off a lot lately, but I didn't hate her! I loved her like a sister! It was really screwed up what they did to her. We've run into some messed up people before, but nothing like those guys. They weren't just scary because they were hurting us, and not because they killed her. I don't know. There was just something really scary about them, I can't explain it. It was like just being next to them was making me sick. And the way they tried to grab Lydia...

  I don't want to think about it. You know why. I'll die before I let something like that happen to her.

  What the hell? I'm getting that feeling I'm being watched again. I didn't see anybody around here, so I don't know what the problem is. I'm probably just tired.

  My ankle is killing me. Having to walk on it like this sucks, because I can't go far. I tried running today, and I barely got two steps before falling over. How the hell are we supposed to get away from zombies if I can't run? I checked it a little while ago, and it's still swollen pretty big. I don't see any bruising, so maybe it's not as bad as I first thought.

  I hope Dan, Jack and Mark made it out. Dan's strong enough, Jack's smart and Mark knows how to keep things organized, so I think they had a good chance of making it. They must have been up in the front of the train when the outbreak happened.

  I miss Jonathan. I swear on everything I know and love, I saw him get on the train! And I didn't see him in the Pastor's room full of zombies. I can't even think of what happened to him. Did he fall off the train when I wasn't looking? Is he hiding somewhere? No, I don't think he'd have any reason to hide anywhere. It doesn't make any sense. Well, even if he is alive, he'd be way too far away to have any idea where we are. He's a great scouter, but I don't know how much luck he'd have finding someone that's miles away.

  You know... Oregon isn't sounding too bad right now. We've been riding on this train forever, but we've never been through that area of the states. We stayed mostly in the south to avoid winters that were too cold.

  I know, we just talked about this a few days ago. I know that the chances of anyone else being there are pretty much zero. But what if the house itself is still there? All that open space, the horses, I do remember that stuff pretty well. I've told Lydia a little about my old plan, maybe she'll be up for trying it out again. We've got nowhere else to go, so we don't have much to lose.

  I'll go talk to her right now.

  Chapter 13 – April 18, 1999

  Okay, I have to stay calm. Lydia's okay, she's still walking, she doesn't feel sick, she says she doesn't feel funny, but she's just sore. Maybe it just hasn't kicked in yet.

  She has a bite on her side!! She didn't tell me anything before! I asked her when it happened, and she said she thinks it happened on the train. I still don't remember getting away to begin with all that well, just the few parts I told you. It's like it happened really fast and I couldn't keep track of where everyone was.

  I went to go talk to her about Oregon, and I saw red on the side of her shirt underneath part of her jacket. I had a bad feeling about it, but I was hoping I was wrong. She said it was nothing, but I took her jacket off so I could see it. I pulled the side of her shirt up and saw a bite! It wasn't deep,
but it was bleeding a little. It looked kind of like a dog bite, and it had some bruising around it. I felt like I was going to both yell at her and start crying at the same time!

  This is so fucked up! I don't know how I didn't see it before! I think she was hiding it from me on purpose! But this isn't something I can get mad at her for– she was scared to tell me. I'd be scared too, but still!

  It seems different though, because her shirt doesn't have any tears in it, and the bite isn't very deep. Usually when people get bit, the teeth will rip any shirts or pants that are on. Her clothes are fine, all that's there is the blood stain.

  I don't know what that means. Maybe the zombie's teeth didn't actually touch her? It's possible, right? And if not, does that mean she won't turn? I'm really freaked out, Barb. What am I supposed to do!? I don't have much medical training, besides putting on bandages. I wish Rita was still alive, she was the surgeon and knew all that stuff.

  I think I've calmed down a little, so I'm going to check out the other apartments to see if there are any supplies here I can use.

  Well, there wasn't much I could use, but I found box tape, a small rag, and a can of beer. I've seen people use alcohol for cleaning up, and first aid kits have alcohol wipes, so I'm hoping it will be good enough for this. So I had her lie down and I poured it on the bite. Lydia was squirming all over the place. I know it hurt, but I don't have any other option. She looked like she didn't believe me when I told her I was trying to help. It didn't completely stop bleeding, but it slowed down, so I taped the rag to her so it'd be covered.

  She's scared, I can tell. I told her to just keep playing with the camera to stay busy. I need to stay calm and figure out what to do next. But I'm a wreck! I'm not showing it to Lydia, but I think I'm going to snap. I can't keep losing people I care about! Sarah, Jonathan, everyone in town... I have to keep Lydia alive, she's all I have left now!

  I want her to be able to make it to Oregon, but it's going to take weeks to get there from here! I don't know if she'll make it that far. She has to, the bite didn't tear her clothes. I still think maybe there's a chance, but we can't waste time, we need to just get up there. I'll have to just deal with my ankle being messed up.

  As soon as I can calm down a little more, we're going to get out of here.

  Okay, now I'm worried. This doesn't make any sense at all. Lydia came back with some pictures she took of the place. Most of them aren't of anything special, but one she took... how can she see Bagman!? Nobody's ever been able to see him!

  Lydia told me that she saw somebody down the hallway, but when she followed there was no one there. She took this one picture of the hall, there's a few doors and some broken walls, but at the end of the hall there's a person! I didn't believe it at first. I tried wiping off the photo, making sure it wasn't dirt, but nothing came off. She asked if I knew who it was.

  I can't tell her who it is. She wouldn't understand. She doesn't know anything about Bagman, or Crane, or any of that. She doesn't need to know. I froze, Barb. I'm still shaking from it.

  I told her I didn't know who it was, but to stay close by anyway, that maybe it was a zombie. She clammed up again and sat down on the floor.

  We can't stay here too much longer, Barb. Everything just feels too weird now. It's quiet right now, but it's too much for me to handle. Seeing him in that picture is putting me on edge. I don't think she saw him. It had to have been a zombie. But why haven't I heard it make any sounds? Zombies are far from quiet so that's what's making this weird.

  Unless it really WAS a person, and we ARE being watched. That's even more reason to get the hell out of here.

  I know Lydia may not be ready for long walking, and neither am I, but we need to go. I'm going to check her bandage and then we're leaving.

  Shit, we're stuck! I don't have long to talk.

  We left the apartment, and we found this drugstore down the road. The door was wide open, so I went inside first to make sure it was safe. I brought in Lydia and I tried finding better things to clean up her bite with. I found antiseptic and bigger bandages, so I cleaned her up again. It's still bruised, and a little blood is coming out, but it slowed down. I found a t-shirt on a rack up front, so I told her to change her shirt so she's not dirty.

  I found a bottle of aspirin, so I took 3 of them for my ankle. It may not make it much easier to walk, but at least it won't hurt as much. The bottle says they expired in 98, but it's better than nothing. I can't afford to feel pain right now.

  But the bottom line is we're stuck behind one of the counters. There are a few zombies in here, and I don't want to shoot and attract more attention. Since we can't go that fast, we need to just be able to escape. Right now I don't think they can see us, so I have some time to figure out how to get us back outside.

  I've been having to drag Lydia around more than usual. She's doing the quiet thing, but since she's hurt I'm not getting mad at her like I usually would. I'm still worried about her. She's walking a little slower, but she's not showing any sign of sickness. I think the bite is just hurting her. She's going to be okay. Yeah, she's going to be fine.

  I can see a way out. I'll talk to you soon.

  SARAH'S DESPAIR

  Authors' Note

  For fun, we wanted to explore and reveal a little more about some of the other people in Kellie's life. As you can safely assume, Kellie is not the only one to have suffered pain and hardship during this turning point in human history.

  Sarah, whom has become the “mother figure” for both Kellie and Lydia, provides them with protection and survival education. Due to Sarah's stern nature, Kellie often doesn't understand Sarah and why she decides the things she does, but there is much underneath her no-nonsense manner.

  “Sarah's Despair” takes place during the chaos of the first day of the end, and reveals much about why she is the way she is... along with how she comes across other key characters in the story.

  Hope you enjoy!

  Chapter 1

  Night shift had turned out to be more silent than Sarah expected; only one half-awake, mild-mannered driver had gone through the drive-thru in the last two hours, which was a relief compared to the usual breed of wily customer that visited Cheesy’s before sunrise. She handed off the grease-laden meal and yawned as the driver pulled away. A quick glance at the wall clock across the walkway showed 5:56 a.m., a mere thirty-four minutes before Sarah turned over her managerial duties to the morning shift.

  Cheesy’s was short staffed that night with only Sarah, the night security guard Pete, and the brand-new girl Lisa running the show. It would only be a few more minutes before the others would show up for the breakfast rush. Outside, Pete made his patrols, staying diligent despite the cold he caught a few days earlier. In the kitchen, Lisa was busily preparing the food on the breakfast list, the splattering grease becoming more droning by the second. Sarah was hungry enough to consider ordering herself a combo meal, but she knew better than to eat what was made there. The only thing that kept her going was the impending bonus from upper management; the thought of her being able to finally get a new scope for her rifle improved her mood and willingness to deal with the drudgery. The empty night allowed her to daydream more than usual, her thoughts drifting to the upcoming weekend camping trip with her husband and daughter. She just hoped that little Stacy would get over her cold by then.

  “Am I doing this right?” Lisa called from the grill.

  Sarah lifted the microphone away from her mouth and found Lisa shaking oil from the deep fryer basket, filled with hash brown sticks. The sticks weren’t quite cooked, as they were still a light yellow color. “A few more minutes,” Sarah corrected. “They’re not dark enough yet.”

  “Okay, thanks,” Lisa replied, lowering the basket back into the oil with a loud popping sound.

  “While that cooks, can you get the coffee pots ready?” Sarah asked.

  “Sure thing,” Lisa said, heading to the coffee machines and filling them with grounds and water. Within moments th
e machine came to life, the faint scent wafting through the air.

  Sarah yawned again, and checked the drive-thru camera – nobody was there. Thank god, she thought. She decided to tally up the overnight sales so she could be ready to leave as soon as the day shift manager came in. It didn’t take long to print up all fourteen sales from that night, and she retrieved the $72 from the register.

  She was startled by a knock at the window, but was relieved to see that it was only Pete. She opened the window and smiled. “Hey Pete, how are you feeling tonight?”

  Pete shrugged, “It hasn’t gone away yet, but I’ll manage,” he said. “Sinuses are acting crazy for some reason.” His face crunched and he turned away in time to sneeze loudly.

  Sarah raised her eyebrows in mild surprise; “Wow, bless you.” She reached under the counter for a handful of napkins and gave them to him through the window.

  Pete thanked her and took them, taking a few to clean his face. “Sorry about that,” he said, glancing around the parking lot.

  Sarah picked up a Styrofoam cup and filled it with the just-finished brewed coffee and passed it to Pete. “Anything interesting going on?” Sarah asked.

  “Nah,” he said, sipping the drink. “Been really quiet tonight.”

  “So when does day shift get here?” Lisa asked, rubbing one of her eyes.

  Sarah looked at the clock again – 6:02. “Jim should be here any minute and there will be five other people here by 6:30 or so,” she explained.

  “Is morning shift as busy as the others say it is?”

  Sarah shook her head. “’Busy’ is an understatement,” she said, “Take it from me, it’s no walk in the park.”