by Lowry, C. L.
“Dad, Texas or Texas Tech?” she asked jokingly.
Kyle dropped his spoon, causing soggy Honey Nut Cheerios to hit the floor. His face frowned up as his brain registered the question he was asked. “How about CCP?”
“Community College? Dad, I want to get my Bachelor’s Degree and it would be too much of a hassle to figure out which classes are transferable. What’s wrong with Texas?”
“I didn’t say anything was wrong with Texas. It’s just that you could save your mom and me a lot of money if you went to CCP and you would be here with us. That would give us enough time to convince you to attend Drexel or LaSalle.” Kyle had a huge grin on his face, laying out his plan to keep his baby girl local.
Chloe laughed because she knew her father was serious about her staying close to home. He refused to accept the possibility of his baby girl moving hundreds of miles away. Although Chloe was four years from the big decision, the fact she was so dedicated to her goal was fascinating to her parents.
“Come on Chloe, you know your father gets all worked up when you start talking about college,” Jacqui said as she sat a plate of pancakes in the center of the dining room table.
“But mom, those top universities in states like Texas and Florida have great athletic programs too. Imagine all the amazing football games dad can come watch. You know he loves football.”
“First of all, Philadelphia has great sports teams. We don’t need to go all the way down to Texas when we can just turn on the television if we really want to see some Longhorn football.”
The aroma of sizzling bacon made its way to Kyle’s nose. He pushed the cereal bowl aside, making room for breakfast that would be fit for a king. Jacqui placed the platter in front of Kyle that consisted of scrambled eggs topped with shredded cheddar cheese, thick cut bacon, sage turkey sausage, seasoned home fries, and warm biscuits that were fresh out the oven. “See Chloe, you’ll be missing all this,” he muttered while stabbing his sausage with a fork and stuffing his face.
Kyle could not ask for anything more in life; he was truly a blessed man. He watched as Chloe stood and reached into one of the cabinets. She looked at her father, smiled, and pulled out a plastic shopping bag. Placing the bag on the countertop, Chloe left it exposed so Kyle could look inside and see the contents. He smirked when he observed the canned goods that filled the bag. She was pleased to see his joyful response. “Mom let me get them when we were at the market yesterday.”
“That’s right,” Jacqui agreed. “It seems like you have a little helper for the zombie apocalypse you’re planning for.”
Kyle could not help but laugh at her statement, knowing he wanted to tear the bag open and stock each can fit neatly in the basement, alongside the many others that filled a large shelf. He was a survivalist and Chloe was always curious about how the world would eventually end. He never imagined it would have come so soon and been this devastating.
CHAPTER 4
It was quiet and there was no movement coming from across the street. Kyle was perched up in the window, scanning for the thugs but they never returned. Jacqui was in the corner of the room, continuously rocking Chloe’s body as if a miracle was going to occur and she would wake from her eternal slumber. He wanted to tell her to leave the body alone, but he also wanted to give her space to grieve. Jacqui was softly singing Chloe’s favorite song, hoping the fine tune would find its way up to heaven and give her baby girl a second chance at life.
CRASH!
The roaring sound forced, Kyle to focus his attention on the house across the street. Initially, things were still but his eyes widened in fear. A beast emerged from the dark, vacant home and worked its way to the middle of the street. Similar to a trained police canine, the beast appeared to be following a scent. It used its moist snout to sniff the ground, parked cars, and even the foggy air. The beast maneuvered through the street as if it was looking for something in particular. Working its way a few feet in every direction, its final resting point was directly in front of Kyle’s home. He watched as the beast sniffed the thick, orange fog that slowly disseminated through the creases of the front door and the broken window. The same poisonous fog that suffocated his daughter, and took her innocent life. It does not affect that thing, he thought. A part of Kyle was hoping the beast would breathe in the poison and drop dead, but the creature was alive and well.
Kyle raised his rifle and aimed at the beast. He knew missing the shot could cost him his life because it would surely revert to its animal instincts and attack him. The red dot of the AimPoint scope danced around the beast’s chest and Kyle’s trigger finger began to reach. I don’t even know if this will put it down. Second-guessing his choice to aim center mass, hoping to send a rifle round directly through its heart, Kyle refocused his aim to the beast’s head. Nothing can survive a headshot, he thought as he began to take out the slack of the trigger.
HOWL. HOWL.
The loud echoing noise the beast made mimicked that of a wolf. It continued howling, which briefly took Kyle’s attention off the shot he was preparing to take and made him focus on the beast’s subtle movements. He did not even realize he had subconsciously removed his finger from the trigger of the AR-15. Kyle was more focused on getting to know his target; he had quickly transitioned from a shooter to an observer. Different thoughts ran through his mind, as he wondered why the beast never entered his home. Something brought this damn thing to the front of my house.
“Kyyyyyyyle,” Jacqui screamed to the top of her lungs. The blood-wrenching scream took his attention completely off the beast outside his home, only for him to look over at Jacqui who was being pinned down by another one. Kyle wasted no time sending two shots through the temple of the beast, freeing Jacqui from its killer grip. This creature was slightly smaller in stature than the one outside and not as hairy. With his rifle still raised, Kyle approached the beast that was sprawled out next to his wife. “Jacqui get up and come here,” Kyle ordered, wanting to get her as far away from the beast as possible. He spoke softly, knowing another threat was waiting right outside. “Jacqui, come here,” he repeated. It did not take long to realize something was not right. His wife was not responding and blood was visible on her shirt. Kyle dropped his rifle when he saw that a chunk of Jacqui’s neck had been ripped away and blood was profusely pouring from the wound. “No baby no. Jacqui get up baby. Come on, don’t do this,” Kyle pleaded while shaking Jacqui’s lifeless body and praying she would embrace him. Still, there was no response. Jacqui was gone.
Kyle rested her body on the floor and covered her body with a small blanket. He could not bear to see the corpse of his wife. He ran over to the window to get eyes on the beast in front of the house. The thick orange fog was spreading, but there was no sign of the beast. It was not anywhere to be found and Kyle saw red. His jaw was clenched and hands balled up into fists, as he stomped towards the bodies. “You motherfucker,” Kyle yelled while turning the beast over on its back and placing its hunting knife to its throat. “I’m going to gut you like a fuckin’ fish,” he stated emotionally. Blood was oozing out the head wounds Kyle inflicted, but he did not care. He decided to behead the dead beast as a form of revenge. This beast was different from the other. Its features more human like than anything else. Teeth were extremely sharp and only its head was covered with hair, rather than its entire body like the other beast. Kyle raised his knife and targeted the mandibular notch for his first strike with the sharp, serrated blade.
“What the fuck,” he muttered after seeing more than blood splatter on the neck of the beast. A small white gold necklace rested on the rough skin of the beast’s neck. A small charm dangled from the necklace. It was the letter C with small diamonds on the surface of the charm. An exact match to the necklace Kyle bought Chloe on her birthday. His eyes scanned the room, looking for her body. He knew the unthinkable had happened, but he was hoping his eyes would tell him otherwise. There was only one human corpse in the room and it was Jacqui’s. Shards of the clothing Chloe wore
were on the ground and the remaining pieces were draped over the beast Kyle had put down. Chloe? Is that my baby? He carefully examined the beast, which still maintained many of its human features.
Although she was not herself, Kyle could not help but to dwell on the fact he put two bullets in the side of his daughter’s head. He also felt that he wasn’t there to protect his wife. He wondered what happened to Chloe and what transformed her. Pools of tears filled his eyes as he hunkered down in the corner and released his emotions. For a man whose family never saw him cry, his heart was in shambles. Kyle always kept things bottled up, but on this day, his emotions got the best of him.
CHAPTER 5
Kyle worked his way down the street. He was a broken man. If losing his daughter wasn’t enough, the loss of his wife sent him over the edge. He scaled each building with his rifle pointed at every window and door he passed. An orange fog filled the streets and made it very difficult to see, especially while wearing his gas mask. It was the remanence of the chemical warfare that took place and centuries of pollution. Breathing in the polluted air would be a fatal mistake.
Kyle was about two miles from his home and there was no sign of life. The streets were cluttered with abandoned cars and mauled bodies, adults, and children. Unfortunately, the gruesome sights took Kyle back to the days he was deployed overseas. He would see similar sights, as they trenched through locations where suicide bombers and other types of terrorists had attacked. There were piles of victims that filled the roads. Occasionally peeking in unoccupied vehicles, he searched for weapons, food, or any valuables that would be useful on his journey through the unknown. Each search resulted in no substantial findings. He would only recover a few sweatshirts and hats that would come in handy to fuel a fire or a wardrobe change.
Kyle continued on what seemed like a never-ending journey. He was now approaching the five-mile marker and needed a quick break. He was in good shape and would usually run close to five miles every other day for exercise, but he had to get the mask off and hydrate himself. Getting into a home would be ideal seeing as though he would be able to rest and develop some type of plan. As he continued scaling homes, he turned doorknobs searching for any home that was unlocked. Several homes had been broken into, which made them useless because the gas had already seeped in. Walking into one of them would be like jumping in a casket and closing the lid.
He checked approximately twenty homes before turning a knob that opened up into a three-bedroom row home. With his rifle up, Kyle flowed through the residence. The last thing he needed was another confrontation. Although he would be able to hold off a small army with all the ammunition he loaded up in his duffel bag before the journey. He raided his basement and brought along the gas masks that once belonged to his family. Starting on the first floor, he checked the living room and worked his way to the kitchen.
“Frag out.”
BOOM!
The loud explosion was followed up by shuffling feet and gunshots as the troops made contact with an insurgent. They turned the corner of the room and the bearded man began shooting from the behind an island in the kitchen. Rounds filled his chest as the troops returned fire, without hesitation.
“Agh, I’m hit,” one of the troops yelled, grimacing in pain.
“Soldier, where are you hit?”
“In the leg, sir,” he replied as he was hoisted onto a dusty table. Blood was squirting from the leg wound, which meant the possibility of a severed artery. With the bulky gear he was wearing, the injured troop could not see the severity of his injury. The soaked uniform pants clung to his leg, revealing how much blood he was losing. The other troops continued clearing the small home, but two stayed behind with the injured.
“Ok, just put some pressure on it and I will apply the tourniquet.”
“Captain Quinn.”
“Yes, soldier.”
“If I don’t make it, tell my wife and kid I love them.”
“You’re going to tell them yourself soldier,” Kyle replied as he tightened the tourniquet, stopping the blood from continuing to squirt from the gunshot wound.
Everything was neat and orderly. It seemed very odd that this home was in such a state. After clearing the kitchen, Kyle checked the second floor. The three bedrooms and bathrooms were clear and based on the setup, an elderly couple more than likely resided at the home. Each bedroom was made up, but dust covered the woodwork in two of the three bedrooms. Pictures of the couple and their family were on display throughout the home.
Kyle made his way back downstairs and locked the door. He performed his usual routine, sealing all seams and cracks. The air in the home was clear, which was an obvious sign that the chemical gas had not entered. Kyle removed his mask and took a deep breath.
“Ahhhhh, fresh air,” he announced.
He placed his duffel bag and rifle down and peeked out the front window to ensure he wasn’t being followed. Kyle repositioned his belt that was securing a nine-millimeter handgun in his waistband, along with a forty caliber Glock in a drop holster.
“Let’s see what’s in this damn kitchen.”
Rummaging through the refrigerator and cabinets, Kyle came out with two cans of peaches, some beef jerky, and a bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey. He plopped on the living room couch and wasted no time devouring the jerky.
You and that damn liquor Kyle, I swear that’s all you care about. Jacqui’s voice echoed in his mind as his dry lips kissed the rim of the bottle. At that point, it seemed as if the tears were pouring faster than the whiskey as Kyle’s head tilted back to enjoy the strong liquor that coated his throat. He lost his whole world and each minute that went by was a battle to find a reason to stay alive. Besides the images of his wife and daughter, Kyle’s memory focused on the sight of the brazen woman standing in the bed of the truck, ready to wreak havoc on innocent lives. Her afro stood tall and souls lifted with each round fired from the weapons her militia toted. He vowed to make her and everyone she cared about suffer, in many ways. That serious vow would be kept.
CHAPTER 6
The odor of fresh coffee stimulated Kyle’s senses. He was watching television with Chloe, but couldn’t help but follow the scent to find out where it was coming from. Jacqui walked over and handed him a large mug. “Extra sugar and cream,” she muttered, knowing it was exactly how her man liked it.
“Thanks, baby,” he said. His large palm smacked her rear end when she turned to return to the kitchen.
“That is so disgusting,” Chloe said, referring to her parent’s odd display of affection.
“It wasn’t disgusting when we made you, was it?”
“Ewwww, stop it,” she replied, chuckling at her father.
“This just in, we are getting reports that there have been numerous attacks at the Alt-Right protests in Center City. A large group of white men and women were marching downtown with Nazi and Confederate flags being waved in the air. The group was chanting, yelling racial slurs at people and even destroyed property. Thousands of White Supremacists were combatted by an anti-racist group of protestors. We have lost contact with Michael Simons, our reporter that was on scene and in the mix of it all. From what we gathered from the live video footage, it seems to be an all-out war downtown as both sides are now involved in a violent confrontation with each other. We have to warn you that the images you are viewing may not be appropriate for viewers under the age of eighteen. As you can see, people are being attacked with weapons and the police are just standing there. Police officers are literally watching the assaults take place and now it appears that protesters are yelling at the police. Now they are pushing up against the wall of officers and the officers are pushing back. BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG. Oh no, oh no. Shots have been fired. We don’t know if the shots were fired by the police officers or at them. We have lost contact with the camera crew but the last visual we had, showed the crowd pushing officers and then shots were fired. I hope things downtown get resolved and no one is seriously hurt. We will be reporting on the prote
sts throughout the night.”
Kyle hugged Chloe tight, covering her eyes with his arm. Although he always spoke to Chloe about the different type of evil people that existed in the world, as a father it was still his job to protect her from those evils. He did not feel it was necessary to watch the news coverage on the violent protests and she didn’t feel the need to argue with his decision.
“What the hell has gotten into people?”
Kyle did not even notice Jacqui was leaning on the wall with her eyes glued to the fifty-inch screen. “I have no idea, but they better keep that crap down there.”
“I don’t even want to imagine that nonsense coming up this way. It would be like the Purge.”
“No, it would be like shooting crabs in a barrel.”
“Kyle, stop,” Jacqui whispered. She hated when he spoke like that in front of Chloe especially while their baby girl was still wrapped in his arms. Kyle looked up at her and smiled, knowing the statement he made was a hundred percent accurate. He would never let someone attempt to harm his family without facing the repercussions. The mere thought of it made his blood boil. “Oh my god,” Jacqui yelled out. Kyle and Chloe popped up to see what was causing her so much distress. They noticed her eyes were glued to the television and when they turned to watch, they were both left speechless. A hundred and thirty-eight people dead, Kyle thought. He did not feel it was necessary to repeat the message that displayed on the television.
“Chloe, go up to your room.”
“Why dad?”
“You don’t need to see this stuff. It’s a little too much for a teenager.”