by Lowry, C. L.
“Well, would you look at this. I thought you all were dead,” the man stated. The comment confused the group because they never met the man before.
“Who are you?” Kyle asked.
“The name’s Daniel, I prefer Danielle, but you can just call me Dannie,” he replied. “This little beauty queen is my best friend, Star.” The brown Yorkshire Terrier greeted the group with a soft bark. “She’s a little shy, so don’t mind her.”
“So Daniel —“
“DANNIE.”
“— Dannie, why did you say you thought we were dead?”
“Because I saw when you got to the house. I knew you weren’t part of that other crew because the way you moved was more so avoiding trouble, rather than inviting it. Those other guys were all about trouble. When I saw them come back to the house and heard all the gunfire going on, I was sure they went in there and slaughtered yall. But it seems the angels were watching over you three last night.”
Kyle looked at the AK-47 Dannie dropped on the floor. “So that was you that dropped the rest of those assholes outside?”
“You are correct handsome,” Dannie said while taking a bow as if he were starring in a Broadway play. He could smell the roses that would be thrown on the stage and hear the applause from the crowd. The group watched as Dannie put on an imaginary show, waving to the audience that was actually the closet door.
“Why?” Candice said, interrupting the dancing man.
“Why what?”
“Why did you help us?”
Dannie threw his arms in the air and struck a pose, which was both dramatic and amusing to Candice. “Well girlfriend, let me tell you. I am just a kind-hearted individual, and I felt it was my American duty to protect you from those evil people that would have butchered you. I guess some would say I’m a hero, but I don’t want you to think that. To you, I’m just lil’ Dannie and this is Queen Star, and we are your new best friends.” He ended the statement by twirling around the room with Star in his arms. The small Yorkshire had her tongue dangling out her mouth as she enjoyed being embraced and spun around.
Kyle turned his head around and peeked out the window. “So Mr. Hero, you were saving us huh?”
“Yes, I was.”
“Then tell me something. Why are the bodies on this side of the street and not over where we were?”
“Huh?” Dannie asked, stopping himself in mid-twirl.
“You heard me. The bodies are over here. Your lying ass wasn’t saving us; you were saving yourself. They were coming to this house, not just the one we were in.”
“Now that makes sense,” Marcus added. “There’s a creature tied up in that back room. So they were going to come in here to get it and once they found you, they would have fed you and your little dog to their pet beast.”
A knot sat in the back of Dannie’s throat as the truth began to reveal itself. The conclusion the group came to was correct. On that night, the members of The Association had split up and Dannie knew once he was spotted with their food and weapons, that there was no chance he would have made it out alive. Once he began dropping bodies, he watched three of the members of The Association get into a car and speed off. He fired shots at the fleeing vehicle but wasn’t sure if he hit anyone. Once morning came and he didn’t see any movement on the street, he scavenged the bodies for weapons and supplies. There was no way he was going to stick around for another wave of the militia to return to the block for revenge. He had no idea Kyle, Candice, and Marcus had slipped into the back of the home.
CHAPTER 22
The door slammed as they exited the vehicle. After what happened the last time they were on the block, certain precautions had to be taken. They hugged the front of the properties during their approach. All eyes were focused on the windows, ensuring no one would take aim on them without them being able to do so in return. It was a while before they reached their destination. It was a run down, turnkey home in the middle of the block. The rustic, mahogany front door was standing open and welcoming the three into the home. The wooden floor panels were scratched up and loose. Being careful where they stepped, they attempted to avoid any possible soft spots on the floor that would send them crashing into the basement.
“It ain't shit down here. Let’s check upstairs.”
The men worked their way up the steps and into the bedrooms. Once the door opened, the sight of the mangled corpse sent two of the three men running out the room. Death loomed in the air, as the setting sun provided very little light in the room. The torso of the body had been cleaned out like a turkey on Thanksgiving. The face had been chewed off like a piece of jerky. Something inside him knew the identity of the deceased, but he examined the bloody remains in search of something familiar. A mole or birthmark would help, but with the amount of blood and ripped flesh across the body, it would be very difficult to locate. Was it even worth looking? Was it even worth knowing?
Rage filled his eyes, seeing the body restrained to the bed. Rope was tied around the hands and feet. He wanted to walk over and remove the restraints, but it seems like he was wearing cement shoes. His feet would not move, and he was left speechless by the torturous arrangement that had been created in the room. Pools of tears began to fill his eyes as the rage quickly turned into sadness. There it was; a small heart tattoo on the ankle of the corpse. Dale’s worst fear had been confirmed; he was staring at Dana’s mutilated body. The cement shoes had been lifted, and he began stepping slowly towards his girlfriend’s corpse. The smell of rotting flesh had very little effect on the man that was the cause of so much devastation in the new world. The way a seasoned trash man could bear the smell of the trash truck is the way the Reaper could bear death’s aroma, even if it meant he just lost the love of his life. Benny and Rob had family back on the grounds of The Association, but the only person Dale had in his life was tied to a full-size bed and missing her organs.
He reached the foot of the bed and began loosening the restraints. The rattle of a chain caught his attention as he turned and saw a beast coming towards him. BANG! He watched as it dropped to the floor and its brain exited its head. BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Dale did not stop firing until his Kel-Tec locked back and the magazine had emptied. His finger still slammed on the trigger as he continued aiming for the beast’s head. Although he had killed the beast that took his girlfriend’s life, he now was on the search for the person responsible for tying her up. The Reaper wanted revenge.
“Dale, are you alright?” Rob asked, running into the room after hearing the melee of gunshots. The atrocious stench sent him soaring back out the room.
Rob and Benny stood outside the door and watched as Dale slowly untied Dana’s corpse. He did not say a word to them, and frankly, he did not need to because they got the hint. Rob knew how much Dana meant to Dale and although he could care less that she was dead, he knew his friend would not take it well.
“Is he going to be ok?” Benny asked Rob.
“Would you be ok, if you lost your wife?”
Benny felt a sharp pain in his chest, just at the thought of something happening to his wife. He looked back at the room and just shook his head, trying to imagine what emotions Dale was currently feeling. Little did he know, Dale would no longer be the same man they expected to rebuild the world alongside.
“This is where they had to be,” Rob told Benny. Looking at all the shell casings that covered the floor. They got the drop on us from right here, and we didn’t even know it.
“Who do you think it was?”
“I have no idea, but take your pick. Look at how many families we slaughtered. Any and everybody should want to kill us.”
Those words stuck with Benny. He was tired. Tired of robbing, tired of torturing and tired of killing. He knew they couldn’t even try to keep count of how many innocent citizens they murdered in cold blood, under Dale’s orders. There was no coming back from that type of evil, and there is no way to shake off those type of demons. Those demons will lurk forever and will fo
llow them to the gates of hell. They picked up the empty cans and looked through the empty shell casings, in search of anything to bring back to Micah.
Benny put his fist through the wall. “There’s nothing fuckin’ here. We are dead men.”
“Listen I’m sure Micah will be understanding. I know Adina will spare our lives. We have done so much work for her, and there is no way she would let anything happen to us.”
“Let’s check the house across the street.”
“What about him?”
Rob looked down the hallway and into the darkness that filled the back room. “What about him?” he asked Benny. The two men walked towards the back room, but neither felt the need to go inside the black hole. Two monsters were lurking inside, one was dead, and the other was out for blood. “Dale, come on, we are going across the street,” Rob yelled out. The two men didn’t even wait for a response before exiting. They knew Dale all too well and knew he was defeated. They were sent on a mission that was literally impossible. The only hope they had would be bringing back the beasts, and Dale just put a bunch of holes in one of them. They had nothing to return to Micah.
Rob and Benny were still on high alert, as they exited the home. Watching for shooters in the windows or beasts that could emerge from any opening of the homes, they had their guns aimed in every direction. Rob cringed at the sight of his comrades’ rotting bodies baking in the sun. Plump flies hovered over the corpses and maggots crawled through every crevice. Benny put his hand on Rob’s shoulder, leading him away from the horrific scene and over in the direction of the U-Haul trucks. They were filled with holes, and the tires had been slashed. It was a clear message about the feelings toward The Association. “Cover me,” he told Benny as he unlatched the rear door. Benny’s gun was pointed directly at the door, so if anyone or anything popped out, he would be ready to take action. The door was pushed open, only to reveal emptiness inside the truck. They also checked the second truck, which revealed the same findings.
“Where the hell is the Jeep?” Benny asked, remembering the vehicles the crew drove to the block that night.
Rob looked up and down the block, wondering if someone had moved it. There were several parked cars in the area, but their vehicle could not be located. “Maybe someone survived all of this and took the Jeep to head back to the camp.”
Benny scratched his head, knowing there was a possibility that scenario could be true. “I guess so, but don’t you think we would have seen them when we went back or in passing? We took the same route back.”
“Yeah, we did. But you never know, maybe they took another way.”
“Well if they did that means they may have the guns and extra ammo,” Benny suggested, knowing how desperately they needed those items.
The men did not spend too much time on the streets, as paranoia began to set in. They were so used to being predators; it was hard to see themselves as prey. Coping with the fact they left their comrades behind was also in the back of their minds as they made their way inside the other home, the group once occupied. A combination of a week old pile of trash, dirty diapers, expired steak and warm, spoiled milk is the only comparison to the stench that hit them when they stepped into the home. They attempted to keep their guards up for any possible attacks, but it was useless as their focus was solely on the bodies. Between the horrendous odor and their extreme guilt, it was difficult for the duo to navigate through the house.
“There’s nothing here. No guns, no ammo, nothing.” Rob knocked over a dresser in the master bedroom.
“Well, what the fuck are we going to do Rob? We have nothing. They aren’t going to just accept our excuses without having to pay a penalty.”
“We have to take the chance. I don’t know if anyone told you yet, but there is nothing left Benny. No more American dream bullshit, just the survival of the fittest.”
“Exactly, we need to survive and that won’t happen if we go back to the camp.”
“Trust me I have a plan,” Rob replied. A sinister smirk spread across his face as the gears in his brain began spinning.
They quickly exited the corpse-filled home and headed back to the car. Benny couldn’t help but to look over at the house and wonder if Dale was still inside. A part of him wanted to wrap his muscular arms around his friend and drag him out the house, but he knew that would be a difficult task. If Dale were weaponless, Benny would have taken the risk but seeing as though he was currently armed with a Walther P99, Benny knew as soon as he attempted to get close Dale would take the shot. As soon as the men turned the corner, they were face to face with three beasts. Two of the beasts were lingering around the Mercury, and the other was feasting on a fresh body in the middle of the street. The left rear passenger door of the Mercury was standing open, and an orange backpack was on the ground, five feet from the vehicle.
Benny let off two shots at the beast in the street but to no avail. The shots missed and drew the attention of all three creatures. One leaped forward and swiped at the men, striking Benny in the arm. Rob got off three shots, which struck the closest beast in the abdomen. He quickly focused his attention to the other beast near the vehicle and let off four shots before hearing the clicking of his empty Ruger as he continued pulling the trigger. BANG! BANG! Benny took the last of his shots, finishing off the wounded beast that struck him. The other two beasts quickly retreated, leaving behind a trail of blood from the meal they dragged along during their retreat. Rob quickly jumped into the driver’s seat and started the Mercury. Benny hopped in the back seat and grabbed the orange backpack when he closed the door. Smoke from the tires filled the air as the two raced off in the clunky sedan.
“What about Dale?” Benny asked.
“What about him?”
“We can’t just leave him behind. You know those things will be creeping around.”
“That’s his problem.”
“Come on Rob; he’s our friend. We can’t just do this.”
“You got two seconds to shut the fuck up about Dale before I kick you out this fuckin’ car. Dale didn’t come out the house Benny. He doesn’t give a fuck about us. If he did, he would be in this car with us, going back to The Association.”
“I’m just saying —“
“I don’t give a fuck what you’re saying right now. We are going back home to our families.”
CHAPTER 23
The Jeep Liberty whipped around the street corners like a bat out of hell. Kyle’s hands gripped the steering wheel as he made each turn. Navigating through the ruins of what was once prominent landmarks and infrastructure. Dannie was in the front seat singing Beyoncé, while Candice and Marcus napped in the backseat. The journey left the couple drained, physically and emotionally. The group didn’t have an immediate plan but wanted to get out of the area in case more enemies worked their way to the target homes. Despite all they had been through, Kyle never got used to the sight and smell of decaying flesh. He fought years as a Marine to protect the country from foreign threats, only to face the reality that America’s greatest threat was itself. When you spend decades trying to defy nature’s law and experimenting with different diseases, the current state of affairs was inevitable. There was no way we as humans would not have to deal with the repercussions of our ignorant actions. Navigating the streets in the Jeep, mounds of rubbish surrounding them, Kyle did his best to keep his eyes solely on the cluttered road. Just months prior, he drove on that exact road and observed all the beautiful scenery Philadelphia had to offer.
The local strip mall, like all other buildings, fell victim to looters and pyromaniacs. Each store was nothing more than an empty shell. Memories of shopping on the very strip with Jacqui and Chloe popped in his head as he drove by the commercial corpse. The large windows that once provided shoppers a look into the hottest retail wear and gear only provided a look into what had become of law and order. Small animals could be observed running in and out each of the buildings. BANG! BANG! Kyle slammed on the brakes as he heard two shots coming from a
short distance ahead. The first thing he thought was that the crew was under attack.
“What was that?” Marcus asked, awoken from his slumber by the sudden halt of the vehicle.
Dannie rolled down his window and looked out. “It sounded like gunshots, but maybe it was noth—“
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Everyone in the Jeep began ducking down, attempting to locate the source of the gunshots. Kyle pulled behind another vehicle on the side of the road, portraying the Jeep as being parked and abandoned. “Look at that,” Candice stated, pointing towards a large amount of orange smoke emerging from the courtyard of another strip mall. Kyle pulled out the parking spot and crept up, towards the mall. He wanted to know what was causing the smoke. More gunshots sounded off followed up by horrifying screams. The smoke became thicker and as Kyle pulled up, he observed three people running from the courtyard. The two women had quite the distance in front the heavyset male who was struggling to pick up the pace. Suddenly several beasts rounded the corner, from the courtyard, and chased the trio. There were at least eight beasts, and they were different sizes and types. The trio didn’t stand a chance against the speed of the beasts, as the distance between both groups quickly closed. Two of the beasts leaped on the heavyset man who screamed for mercy once he felt their claws rip through his blubbery flesh. Another beast joined in on the attack, biting the man’s arm and ripping it from the rest of his body. Marcus cringed at the gruesome sight and rolled his window down.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Normally Marcus would be puking after seeing someone’s limb being ripped from their body but instead, he hung out the window and fired shots at the beasts who continued giving chase. His shots were precise, striking one beast three times and another once. The women continued running, hoping to evade the same fate their partner suffered. “I’m out,” Marcus yelled out, ducking his head back into the window and attempted to reload his gun. Kyle stopped the car and reached down to retrieve his rifle.