Surviving This Life

by Rodgers, Salice

  I put my arm around her pulling her close. “I miss him too,” I whisper as the tears fill my eyes. “He would have killed Grant if he would’ve known.”

  “Yeah, and as much as I thought about it then, what would his pregnant girlfriend and unborn child go through without him in this world? It would be worse now the way the world is and neither of them asked for this.”

  “She didn’t know about what Grant did to you. He never told her. She knows now and I don’t think they will be the happy family like they thought. She was pretty pissed off.” I look at Wil.

  “Well, if I said I wasn’t just a little happy about that I would be lying,” she giggles.

  I can’t help but laugh. “Now I remember why we are best friends.”

  “Because we are both cold hearted bitches?” she asks laughing.

  “Bingo!” I double over in laughter.

  “Are y’all okay in there?” I sit up as I hear Cade’s deep voice penetrate through the closed door. I look over to Wil and give her the look silently asking if she wants to answer him.

  “We’re fine Cade. You can come in,” Willow says, looking towards the door.

  He opens the door and walks in his eyes quickly find Wil and I can see the genuine concern in them.

  “I just wanted to come check on you and make sure you were okay.” Cade walks over to stand beside Wil.

  “I’m okay.” She looks up towards him and smiles.

  He grins back at her and I have to admit it’s kind of hot.

  “Well…. I am going to.. um.. yeah. See you later Wil.” I get up and leave letting them have some alone time. I think he will be good for her if she can just let him in. As I walk down the hallway towards my room Grant comes running up to me.

  “Have you seen Melody?” The panic in his voice almost makes me feel sorry for him. Almost.

  “Not since she found out what a creep you are,” I snap back at him.

  “This is not the time Liv. She is pregnant and missing.” He looks around the hallway.

  “Nah shit? I thought she was hiding a basketball under her shirt,” I sarcastically quip.

  “You always were a bitch.”

  “The best,” I say with a smile and walk past him.

  I walk into my room and slam the door in his face as he strolls past my door. I sit on my bed and pull out my useless cell phone. I swipe the screen and it lights up. A smiling Tony looks back at me. Ugh stupid bastard. I sling it down on the bed and stand and gather my clothes so I can find a shower, I stink.

  ***

  “Olivia!” I hear a voice say my name and a gentle shake. I open my eyes to see Wil standing over me.

  After my shower I must have dozed off on the bed.

  “What?!” I say in a groggy bitchy voice.

  “We need to help find Melody.”

  “Why? I am sleeping.” I roll over covering my head with a pillow.

  “Liv as pissed as we are at Grant she has been gone for hours and she might need our help.”

  “Ugh! Fine,” I say and get up and slip my shoes on and pull my blonde hair back in a ponytail. “Let's go.” I grab my bat and head out of the door and down the stairs.

  Grant, Becky, Cade and some Mexican family I haven’t seen before are all waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

  “Who are they?” I say pointing to the family.

  Cade speaks up. “This is Jose and his wife Alejandra and their two kids. He is the family's gardener and his family is staying in the guest house.”

  “Oh-kay. So are they going with us to look for prego?” I ask in a more smart ass tone than I meant to.

  “Just Jose. I thought Alejandra could stay behind with the kids while we all look,” Cade says as he looks over to Alejandra and nods.

  “Okay. How are we doing this? Are we splitting up or going as a group or what?” I put my hands on my hips, waiting impatiently. She ran away for a reason. I don’t know why we have to waste our time looking for her.

  “I think we would get more ground covered if we split up in groups. Me, Willow, and Grant and You, Tony and Becks,” Cade says pointing us all out.

  I look over to Wil to see if she is okay with the arrangement. She nods.

  “Okay. What about Jose?” I ask.

  “He is staying to keep guard at the fence and make sure it stays clear for us to enter back in.”

  “Got it. Let’s go.” I look over to Tony and Becky, who haven’t been in the same room with each other that I am aware of, since we got here. Great I am stuck with the love birds. I pick up my bat and walk out of the front door.

  They follow me along with everyone else. Wil catches up to me and pulls me by my arm to a stop.

  “Liv are you okay?” The concern in her voice serves to further annoy me

  I turn and look at her and plaster a big fake smile on my face. “I am just peachy Wil, just fucking peachy.”

  She sighs, “Look if you don’t want to be with Tony and Becky I will switch with Becky.”

  I look at her and I know I shouldn’t be snappy with my best friend. She is the only person I truly have left. I let out an exaggerated sigh, “No, Wil I am fine. I mean I will have to deal with them eventually. Might as well do it now.” I give her a weak smile, “I will be fine. You stay safe!” I give her a quick hug and look over at Cade.

  “I swear to God if you don’t keep her safe I will kill you.”

  He chuckles and swings his arm around Wil’s shoulder. “I will keep her safe, scouts honor.” He holds up three fingers. “Come on precious let's get going.” She waves at me and they get in their ATV and drive off towards the gate.

  I get in the other ATV and put Mr. Bat right beside me. “Y’all coming?” I say looking at Tony and Becky. They nod and get in. Tony sits in the back and Becky sits beside me. She refuses to sit in the back by herself. She is such a pus.

  I follow Cade to the gate. Jose quickly knocks off the flesh eaters that are hanging on the gate and opens it wide enough for us to get through. I hear Cade mumbling something to Jose that I can’t quite make out but I’m sure it is directions on what to do once we are out. I follow them out and down the driveway. Flesh eaters line the driveway making their way to us or bypassing us to try and get to Jose before the gate closes.

  “Take the Wheel!” I demand to Becky.

  “What? Why?” she ask.

  “Unless you want Jose overrun with flesh eaters then take the damn wheel!” I shout as I let go and grab Mr. Bat.

  She quickly takes the wheel and I hang my upper body out of the ATV and ready myself for the next flesh eater we cross. Grant has a golf club in his hand and is swinging it wildly in front of their ATV to clear the path for us. Some he gets in the head others he just knocks down. Those are the ones I plan to end before they make it to the gate and overwhelm Jose. As we roll up on the first one his moans and grunts fill my ears. He reaches out for me, ready to eat my arm like a chicken leg. I jerk away from him and swing the bat in a swift motion knocking him straight in the head and down to the ground. His moans stop and I smile knowing I have done what I intended.

  We quickly come up on the next one and she is on all fours trying to get to her feet but with a backwards hand and a leg that is just hanging on by a slice of skin, it’s not easy for her. I bring the bat down onto her head and hear a satisfying smash as blood and brain fragments splatter in the air splashing me on the face. I bring the end of my shirt up and quickly wipe my face clearing my vision for the next attack.

  The old lady walks slow and clutches her peach hand bag. At first glance you would think she is a normal old lady walking down a driveway until she looks up and her grey curls bounce back. Her nose is hanging loose on her round chubby face. Her left eye is completely gone and all that is left is an empty socket that is filled with maggots. They squirm and wiggle their way down her face and eat on the rotting flesh around her nose. They must have just ate through the last link of skin that was holding her nose on her face because I watched it fall to the gr
ound. I feel bile rising in my throat as I see her step on her own nose smooshing it into the gravel. She lunges for me and I swiftly swing my weapon knocking her in the left temple. Maggots go flying in the air as her face caves in and she falls to the ground finally, truly dead.

  We finally make our way to the end of the driveway and managed to kill all of the flesh eaters in our path. Grant smiles back at me and I smirk at him and shake my blood spattered bat at him. He shakes his head and sinks down in the seat as they turn right and we go left. Each ATV is equipped with a CB and as we make our way farther away from the driveway I hear Cade’s voice come over the speakers.

  “Olivia, Olivia can you hear me?”

  I pick up the mic and press the talk button, “I can hear you loud and clear Cade.” For added effect I say, “Over,” and giggle. Tony looks over at me and smiles and shakes his head. Becky rolls her eyes.

  “Let’s meet back up at the end of the driveway in two hours,” Cade says. As I am going to respond I hear Willow’s sweet voice ring through over the speaker, “Be safe Liv. I love you.”

  “I love you too Wil and we will all meet back at the driveway in two hours. Over and out.” I put the mic back in its holder.

  The roads are fairly clear except the occasional abandoned car and a flesh eater here and there. I pulled over and let Tony drive so I could be on smash duty with every flesh eater we cross. I am not leaving one alive if I can help it. We drive about three miles down the road before we come to a one stop light town. As we top the hill to head into the heart of the town my eyes scan the horizon and I am floored by what I see, flesh eaters fill up the town center.

  “How in the hell are there so many flesh eaters in such a small ass town?” I say to no one in particular.

  Tony shakes his head, “I don’t know but there is no way in hell I am driving down in that!”

  “Right. I mean she couldn’t have come this far anyways on foot. Let’s just turn around and check some of the houses we passed along the way,” I say looking over at Tony.

  Just as he is turning around we hear a bloodcurdling scream.

  “HELP ME! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!!”

  I look in the direction of the scream and see pregnant ass Melody running as fast as her basketball belly will allow her to. She is running toward us from the heart of the town. A huge herd of flesh eaters are chasing her and several reach out to grab her as she runs past them.

  “Oh my God Tony, go get her!” Becky yells.

  “I...I,” Tony stammers and I can see the fear in his eyes.

  “Tony she is pregnant! We can’t just leave her there to get eaten alive!” Becky snaps.

  “Well you go get her then! I am not putting our lives in danger to save a runaway girl I don’t even know!” he barks.

  “Both of you shut the fuck up! We WILL go get her and none of us will die today!” I snap tired of their pointless arguing.

  “Liv I will not put you in danger to save a girl we barely know.” Tony looks over at me with pleading eyes begging me to stay with him, to stay safe. Before those eyes would have gotten him anything he wanted, but not today. I am not some heartless bitch. Yeah I may come off that way sometimes, but I’m not.

  “Tony she is pregnant for Christ’s sake! As much as I hate to, I agree with Barbie back there, we have to save her. And before you protest further let me tell you, I will do it with or without you.”

  He huffs and pulls a 9mm out of the waistband of his jeans. “Becky grab one of those golf clubs back there.

  I look at him with wide eyes. Tony doesn’t like guns. “Where in the hell did you get that?!” I blurt out.

  “Cade gave it to me before we left the house,” he says it like it’s no big deal. I know him and I know he hates guns, so for him to have one is a big deal.

  “Umm...Why do you get that and I get a damned golf club?” Becky asked clearly annoyed.

  I turn and face her with a smart ass look on my face, “Could you even use it if you had it?” I sneer.

  “For your information Daddy took me to the shooting range every weekend. So yes smartass, I could use it!” she counters.

  I am speechless. Who knew Barbie could shoot?

  “Well Tony looks like G.I Jane gets the gun and you get the club.” I turn back around in my seat and chuckle. This bitch may be useful after all.

  Tony reluctantly hands over his gun in exchange for the golf club. Becky smiles and cocks the gun.

  “You worry about driving and Liv and I will worry about the flesh eaters in our path. Just get us to Melody, and fast!” Becky calls off orders like she has been doing it the whole time.

  I don’t know where that scared, hanging all over my man, girl went but I am glad she is gone. Maybe being back in her hometown has given her some balls.

  “You heard the lady. Let’s get going!” I giggle.

  Chapter Nine

  Willow

  “So how long have you and Melody been together?” I ask looking back at Grant.

  “We got together my first year of college and have been together since,” he says as his eyes comb the hillside looking for his fiancé.

  “And you didn’t think to tell her about what you did to me?” I say with a little more bitterness in my voice than I intended.

  He whips his head around and looks at me with hurt and anger swimming in his eyes. “You know Willow that’s not something I am proud of, so no I didn’t think to tell her. I never planned on seeing you again and I damn sure didn’t plan on all this shit,” he waves his arms around in the air, “happening and getting stuck with my worst regret.” He picks up the shotgun and blasts it, blowing off half the face of a flesh eater that had gotten too close to our creeping ATV.

  “Wow Grant, just wow.” I roll my eyes and turn back around looking straight ahead.

  Cade stops the ATV and turns around to face Grant. “Do you think it is easy for her man? Do you think being in the same town much less the same damn house with her rapist is fun for her? Fuck you and how you feel man. You RAPED her and she is out here helping you find your girl and you have the damned nerve to talk to her like that?” He shakes his head, “You truly are a class A dick head,” he huffs and turns back around.

  “CADE LOOK OUT!” I scream as a flesh eater reaches in and grabs ahold of his arm.

  Just as the words leave my mouth Grant aims and fires a bullet right between the ravenous flesh eater’s eyes.

  “A dick head that just saved your fucking life! Now get this thing going, we need to find Melody before she gets hurt or lost or worse.” He looks back out over the flesh eater filled pasture.

  Cade pushes the limp flesh eater’s body off of his lap and wipes the blood that splattered in his face off and punches the gas.

  We ride in silence for the next several miles until we come to a dead end and are forced to turn around.

  “Let’s check some of the houses we passed along the way. She could have went in one of them to find shelter and a place to rest,” Grant says.

  “Sure but we have to be quick it’s getting dark and I don’t want to be out here at night with no lights.”

  “You have got to be shitting me!” Grant exclaims. “You are so worried about you being out here at night with no lights, what about Mel? She has no lights, no food, no weapons and no fucking clue where she is! WE ARE NOT GOING BACK UNTIL WE FIND HER!” Grants demands.

  “If you wouldn’t have raped an innocent girl then lied about it to your fiancé we wouldn’t be here in the first damn place,” Cade counters.

  “You son of a bitch! How many fucking times do I have to apologize for that before you will shut the fuck up about that? I know I fucked up but I was young and dumb shit happens!”

  “Shit happens? Ho..”

  “STOP IT!! Both of you!” I interrupt Cade. “We get it! He raped me! Can you just fucking drop it and focus on finding a very pregnant and unarmed woman? No matter how many times you apologize,” I say looking at Grant, “Or how many times you bring it u
p and insult him,” I say looking at Cade, “It will not change what happened to me. But what we can change is what happens to Melody. We can and we will find her. So please both of you shut the hell up!” I cross my arms over my chest and look straight ahead.

  “You’re right I’m sorry Wil,” Grant whispers and leans back in his seat.

  “You’re un-fucking-believable,” Cade huffs as he swings the ATV right into a narrow gravel driveway. The gravel crunches and slings dust up in my face. I cough and wave my hand in front of my face to clear the air as we pull up to an older style farm house with two stories and a huge wrap around porch.

  “Here.” Cade shoves a pump action shotgun at me, “You do know how to use it right?” He asks.

  “No. I don’t,” I say as I step out of the ATV leaving the gun behind and picking up an aluminum bat that was sticking out from behind the seat.

  I walk off toward the front of the house without a second glance at Cade and his smart ass attitude. Who in the hell does he think he is? What happened to me was none of his damned business and yet here he is acting like he knows me and cares for me. We just met!

  As I make my way up the steps I feel a strong hand on my shoulder. I grip my bat and turn around and swing with all my might just like Liv taught me. Cade reacts fast and puts his hand up and grabs the end of the bat just as it was about to knock him in the head.

  “Jesus Cade!” I yell as I yank my bat out of his hand. “I could have hit you! Why would you sneak up on me like that?”

  “Sorry didn’t mean to scare you. I was just going to tell you that Grant is going in through the back and I am staying here to keep watch. Yell if you need anything and I will be right there.”

  “Okay, but as you can see I am fast on my feet so I should be fine.” I am surprised at the amount of attitude in my voice.

  “I can see Liv taught you well,” he smirks and shakes his reddened hand, “That will be stinging for a while.”

  Ugh why does he have to be so sexy? “Sorry about that,” I say and look down in embarrassment.

  “Don’t be sorry. You’re right, I could have been one of them things grabbing you. Your reaction was perfect. I am the one who is sorry. I shouldn’t have snuck up on you like that.” He rubs the back of his neck with his hand.